<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>My Devil Academia (A blooming bud in the shadow) part 2 by Cici3</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23508883">My Devil Academia (A blooming bud in the shadow) part 2</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cici3/pseuds/Cici3'>Cici3</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>My Devil Academia (Rose) [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Shall We Date?: Obey Me!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Mild Language, Non-Graphic Violence, Other, School</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 12:27:30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>48,873</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23508883</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cici3/pseuds/Cici3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Jetea is doing well at the school and she is making a difference there for the better, but when the brothers have a rivalry quarrel she runs away and finds herself in grave danger. She will need the help of her seven best friends to get her through the new challenges she is soon to face or else she may never be the same.</p><p>Lucifer is finding that his little nemesis turned comrade has been taking up a lot of his mind for reasons he cannot explain, how can he protect her when she does not let him in? Will he be able to set his pride aside so that she can?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>My Devil Academia (Rose) [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1691173</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. A shadow descends on the garden</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Part 2</p><p>Chapter 14</p><p>L</p><p>“And as you can see gentlemen, there has been an extensive improvement in the attendance at first bell since the new methods have been implemented to enforce the attendance policy. And just as well if you see from three months ago to just last week the grades of the students who have improved their attendance have improved their grade point average by an average of one point.” Jetèa displayed her charts on the new projector she advise us to use as we looked to the ones in our hands; we was all about the visual, if the results weren’t in black and white then there were no results to speak of. She displayed the grades and attendance records of every student in RAD with only their initials displayed for privacy, she was meticulous and I enjoyed that trait in her. She leaned back, her hand on the table while her other hand held the laser pointer. Today her hair was in a bun a rose comb in her hair accenting the golden one that hung from her neck.</p><p>“These are very good results Jetèa, well done.” Diavolo was always pleased with her results, of course he was; she and I were the only ones who strived this hard to achieve them. Her face showed disapproval of the praise however and she turned around.</p><p>“No, it isn’t. Lord Diavolo there are currently eighteen hundred students attending RAD and over four hundred are consistently tardy to class and two hundred of them have allowed their grades to suffer because of it. That means eleven percent of students grades are below a 2.0 from being tardy! This is after we have made the changes, but the teachers are not enforcing attendance for the rest of the classes! If you all turn to page three you will find that of the four hundred regular tardy students over one hundred and fifty are skipping their evening classes altogether!”</p><p>“Aw Come on ‘Tèa, you really expect every student to attend every class?”</p><p>“Yes!! I do, there isn’t a single course provided that isn’t essential to the students curriculum, this academy-“</p><p>“Is a prestigious school and an absolute privilege to attend.” My younger brothers finished for her, normally our meeting was us simply giving our reports and them counting the minutes to going back to their own agendas, since Jetèa joined it has been much more interesting to watch and participate because she demanded from my brothers as well. She leaned over the table, a bit of fire in her eyes.</p><p>“Yes, and we must uphold that! If we let students choose which class is more important based on time of day then we may as well tell them not to come at all! We may as well be no different than any other regular school run by those who could give two shits about their students or their future!”</p><p>“Oh geez here she goes again…” I heard Mammon mumble.</p><p>“You were the one that spoke up Mammon!”</p><p>“We will be here all afternoon now.” Belphie yawned into his hand.</p><p>“I knew I should have set my DVR.”</p><p>“Lord Diavolo, do you not have concern for your people’s wellbeing and future? Don’t you carry passion for the potential they have?!” I only saw this kind of passion in her eyes when she spoke of her plants, it seems this school earned her ardent efforts as well.</p><p>“Of course I do Jetèa!”</p><p>“Then we must tap into their potential and show everyone just how upstanding RAD is!”</p><p>“Yes that is fine, but how do you propose we do that? I already know you have ideas in mind.” She looked up at me with a beaming smile and went into her bag making my brothers groan in displeasure.</p><p>“I didn’t think it was possible to make hell worse.”</p><p>“This is it, this must be our punishment, we’ve been here for thousands of years and I realize that this girl must have been made just for us to suffer for eternity!”</p><p>“It’s like looking at a pretty Lucifer….”</p><p>“At least Lucifer doesn’t make us stay an hour over the meetings end time!”</p><p>“At least when he would give us a three hour lecture he wouldn’t give us homework on it!” I enjoyed our meetings over the past couple of months, she truly dove into her tasks and has given excellent ideas to improve the schools performance. And I would be lying if I said watching my brothers suffer at hands that weren’t my own was amusing as well.</p><p>“Here you are.” She handed me a packet of what I assumed were more theories and plans to execute on our attendance problem. I took the heavy envelope in my hand and smiled in return. She held my gaze for only a moment before turning to the next brother. My little kindred spirit, you would do your best to make this school shine and Diavolo proud if only because you set out to do it. Good for you.</p><p>“Aw jeez this thing is like four hundred pages! I ain’t gonna read this!” She turned, a bit of anger in her eyes as she got closer to the table.</p><p>“I’m sorry, I could have sworn I sat with RAD’s finest, yet all I hear is complaining! Do you want to get back to your reading, your shows, and the casino? Then put a fire under your asses and let’s get some results we can be proud of!”</p><p>“Diavolo we have been here for almost three hours! I’m tired! Can’t we save some of this for next meeting?” Mammon whined.</p><p>“We did that last week it’s why I’m going over it now.”</p><p>“That didn’t happen!”</p><p>“Yes it did, I wrote the minutes.”</p><p>“No, that aint in the minutes.”</p><p>“I don’t play when it comes to my notes Mammon! In fact you don’t remember because you doodled the whole time.”</p><p>“You don’t know that.”</p><p>“Well look at this, Rose even put Mammon’s doodle in the minutes! It’s a little Lucifer with stink lines how cute!!”</p><p>“Everyone please! Jetèa this is a lot of information to take in right now, and we are well out of time.” Diavolo noticed the saddened look in her eye and stammered.</p><p>“Maybe you can get straight to the point?”</p><p>“Yeah, give us the TLDR.”</p><p>“So we can git out of here!” she looked to all of us and sighed.</p><p>“Detention isn’t working, and their grades do not matter to them; I say each student who is tardy to any class longer than ten minutes without a medical excuse will receive this detention, however after two detentions the student will be given mandated community service and a course in time management and prioritization. Those that skip class entirely will skip the detentions entirely. There are those that work to provide for their families and I understand that, they should apply for class waivers and given options to complete the curriculum either online or in a separate class session with an instructor. This will eradicate the absences and unexcused tardies and thus could raise our average grade point average by another one point two points.” Everyone was silent, thinking it over. It was a very innovative idea I could even see in Diavolo’s expression that she was onto something.</p><p>“I will definitely consider that Jetèa, very well done coming up with that idea!” her eyes shone, she always loved her praise.</p><p>“Well Lucifer proposed that an alternate course should be provided or those who work while in school; so I cannot take all of the glory.” She looked in my direction and smiled, tilting her head to the side.</p><p>“Well good job both of you; I say this meeting is adjourned, Jetèa I will need the minutes by tomorrow and I will take the information you gave me and look it over for next week.”</p><p>“Thank you so much Diavolo!”</p><p>“No, thank you!” everyone got up to leave in a hurry and as always Jetèa stayed to clean up. I gathered some nearly papers and stopped her voice recorder as I handed it to her.</p><p>“Thanks, I think I’m really making a difference here at this school!”</p><p>“Yes, you certainly have a lot of interesting ideas to improve it; I think Diavolo is proud to have chosen you.” We began to walk towards the door together books in hand</p><p>“I’m grateful….You weren’t speaking much in the meeting, is something wrong?”</p><p>“Far from it, other than what I have gone over I merely had no other input; you simply had it covered.” She looked over to me in a sideways glance and smirked.</p><p>“So the Mighty Mr. Pride was rendered speechless at my superior display? My, My how interesting…” I grabbed her shoulder and spun her to face me, that playful glint in her eye telling me she was merely teasing. This was how our friendship was; we enjoyed our conversations and each other’s company, but there were times  she seemed to love baiting me to anger, like making me lose control made her feel superior. She was much milder than she was months ago, but to see my annoyed expression turned her smirk into a full grin.</p><p>“What troubles you Senpai, does it bother you that I received more praise from Diavolo than you; that I had to mention you in order for you to get any recognition?” I kept my face straight and her grin faltered…ha, I won.</p><p>“Not at all, because I don’t need recognition, I know my strengths” She pouted, two points for me.</p><p>“Don’t you look so smug-“ I took her chin in my fingers and lifted her face.</p><p>“You don’t need to be praised to know when you’ve done well; your actions will do that. Yes it feels wonderful, but being able to see the results manifest from your achievements is well enough. Remember that well.” Her face reddened as she looked up at me and I found myself taken aback. She was kind, considerate and selfless when it came to her friends; but she had different kinds of friendships with each of us. With mammon she was his keeper but also his motivation, With Satan she was his intellectual equal and comrade, Asmo loved to dress and primp her and she loved the attention, Levi loved all the information she could provide him on Japanese culture and the anime even he hadn’t heard of. Beel brought out her gentle and sweet side, she trusted him the most and they spoke often. Belphie loved having a new dance partner and she enjoyed his culture.</p><p>   But me? We didn’t share a special thing other than our teasing’s, our entire acquaintance was based on the incessant need to best each other. We did it in fun now, however I also took the time to mentor her as she needed assistance handling the darkness she carried in her heart. She merely hid it from the others but I knew…I knew because I carry it too. When she looked at me like this, with her guard down and vulnerable it make me believe that she trusted me. When that happened these odd feelings stirred within me, and it made my head swim with so many conflicting thoughts. It was like she could see my darkness as well….can you sense it as I had yours…do you wish to…no, that’s absurd. Even if you, wanted to you couldn’t handle a tenth of the weight I carry….but even still.</p><p>“Jetèa, why are you looking at me that way?” she flushed more and turned her faced away.</p><p>“Nothing….it’s just…when you show off that caring side…”</p><p>“Yo Jetèa, what do you think your doin’ makin’ the Great Mammon wait like this huh?” Mammon and Belphie stood by the entrance of the school with their bags in hand.</p><p>“You wouldn’t have waited as long if you had helped her clean up Mammon.”</p><p>“Ah! Uhh, well I had to get my books, you know the big test is next week and if I don’t ace it Miss Minamino here will give me an earful! My time is too valuable; but since you held her up I won’t charge her for the extra time. Now let’s walk home already!” she turned back to me and looked like she may say something  but stammered…another unusual occurrence for her.</p><p>“I will talk to you later?” She suggested I suppose I will not know today.</p><p>“Of course, I have tasks to do per usual, but…I will see you tomorrow?”</p><p>“Alright.” She walked away without another word, leaving something foreign in the air between us.</p><p>J</p><p>“You really know how to try a demons’ patience ‘T`ea, first you make the meeting go over an hour then you make me wait for you at the doors, what is your game anyway?”</p><p>“Is it a crime to care about this school Mammon?”</p><p>“No, it’s a crime to waste my time, you were lucky Lucifer was there, I ain’t scared of him or nothin’, but he took the fall for ya.” Belphie and I rolled our eyes together.</p><p>“A good question is why Lucifer was talking to you.” I turned to him sharply stopping in my tracks.</p><p>“Belphagor… do I detect jealousy in your tone? I am free to speak to whomever I please. You two are not my only friends.”</p><p>“Excuse me but I’m your guide, I’m to keep ya safe so if anybody wants to speak to ya they have to go to me first.”</p><p>“Funny you can make threats when the girl you’re to protect can kick your ass.”</p><p>“Shaddup! She ain’t kicked nuthin’ I let her do that cuz I felt pity!”</p><p>“Boys stop it! What is all of this about?” they shifted their weight and looked around.</p><p>“Somethin’s different about Lucifer latley…he aint his normal self, ever since you fixed his gloves and became friends he’s been…” my heart sped up.</p><p>“He’s been what?”</p><p>“We can’t really explain it…we just know it isn’t his usual self. He’s a lot more relaxed, Like he’s been yelling less lately and it’s harder to piss him off.”</p><p>“Yeah like my credit card bill came in and he never said a word to me! It was crazy that I got away with a bill that high!”</p><p>“Being in debt is nothing to be proud of Mammon.” I shook my head.</p><p>“Now that I think about it, he has been quiet during the meeting…”</p><p>“See and I didn’t get a single threat about the doodle-that I didn’t do at all!”</p><p>“Jetèa I have to ask, are you and Lucifer….?” I stared at him confused until it got very awkward.</p><p>“Erm…you know…an item?” my head spun and my heart pounded it was the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard!</p><p>“What in the world would lead you to believe that?! We are classmate, colleges and just friends! Even if I chose to pursue any type of relationships other than friendships I wouldn’t be with a demon like Lucifer! And besides he wouldn’t like me, I’m not his type.” The boys got closer in my face.</p><p>“Wait you asked him about his type?”</p><p>“No, I just figure he wants some meek little mouse that does as he commands and never challenges him. He’s very domineering, and I don’t stand for that type of behavior.”</p><p>“Says the pot about the kettle.”</p><p>“I would appreciate it if you would not compare us all the time!” they looked at each other and back at me.</p><p>“Okay, okay…sorry we asked.” I was so irritated with them, first they are so disruptive during the meeting then they pull this? What nerve do they have to make such vulgar accusations? I have no interest in seeking a romantic relationship with anyone! Let alone an arrogant demon such as Lucifer! Sure he wasn’t all vinegar, and he had his moments when he seemed to care. I know he loves his brothers, so he has a gentler side; however I just never saw myself with someone like him….or anyone. Regardless I cannot let myself get distracted from my reason for being here for anyone.</p><p>“It’s just that…” Belphie started again.</p><p>“What?” a DDD went one and Mammon checked his, yelping after a moment.</p><p>“What is it?”</p><p>“Lucifer just sent me a picture of a rope in his hand.”</p><p>“I guess it has to do with last week’s doodle.”</p><p>“Hey…I got somethin’ important to do; I gotta go!” Mammon took off toward town and it was just me and Belphie alone. We walked in silence, I was still fuming at what he had said to me and I refused to look at him.</p><p>“Please don’t be mad at me okay?” I looked over at him, he looked sad.</p><p>“I’m just upset that you would make accusations like that!”</p><p>“I only asked.”</p><p>“I still didn’t like it.” Belphie stopped again and looked to the ground like it would disclose him the meaning to life I had started to feel bad for being angry.</p><p>“I know I’m batting a thousand but…while on the subject, what is your type?”</p><p>“I….i don’t know, I had never thought about it before. I didn’t even have friends before I met you guys so it’s hard to say.” He looked to me with pained eyes and sighed.</p><p>“Belphie?”</p><p>“’Tèa…I really like you; but I think I already know you aren’t interested in me.” I was shocked, I had never had a guy like me before that I knew of and I was hurt for him because he was right. I had never seen him in a romantic manner and even trying to think of it now I wasn’t interested.</p><p>“Belphie, I care about you a lot; I would do most anything for you. And I’m so sorry but I just don’t feel that way…” he nodded, he knew it was coming but flushed from embarrassment all the same. I hated seeing him this way and I hugged him around his waist and rested my head on his shoulder.</p><p>“I don’t want this to hurt us as friends…please.” This made me nervous I have seen people act in violent ways over love and it frightened me. I hugged me back and chuckled.</p><p>“I didn’t want that either; like I said I knew you didn’t feel the same so no harm done.”</p><p>“You sure?”</p><p>“Yeah, I’m just glad to get it out there. I think a few of us have gotten feelings for you to be honest. I mean you’re smart, beautiful and really nice.”</p><p>“Once you get past my first impression ha ha!”</p><p>“I think people get the wrong impression of you, but even still you changed since you came here too so there’s that.”</p><p>“Yeah, I did, didn’t i?”</p><p>“Beel likes you too.” I nearly tripped over my own feet.</p><p>“Beel?”</p><p>“Yeah…we can sense each other’s emotions see and I can feel he cares about you more than I do. Do you like my brother?” Emotion welled in my throat and I fought tears. I cared about Beel a lot, but not in a romantic sense. I trusted Beel, and I would cook any dish he asked for but I just didn’t see myself as a person being involved with him. Belphie read my face and nodded.</p><p>“I’m not worried about me, just…don’t hurt him okay?”</p><p>“I would never.” We made it back and I went straight to my room to think about everything. Beel sat on my bed with a box and my heart stung.</p><p>“Oh hey ‘Tèa, I hope you don’t mind I made you some cookies….i did eat a few, but I saved some.”</p><p>“Beel, that’s sweet of you.” He blushed and handed me the box that contained chocolate chip cookies, a rarity in Devildom. He scratched the back of his head, face flushed and obviously nervous. I had to say something before this got any worse.</p><p>“Thank you Beel, you are a very wonderful friend.” His eyes darted and regretted it instantly.</p><p>“Well I….sorta hoped…I could be more? You’re really pretty and nice; and you cook all of my favorites and you paid me back the money I gave you when I didn’t want it. You make me feel very special….” Beel wasn’t the first to call me pretty; sure there were guys who saw it but only wanted me for that; they hated my mind and my opinion but Beel listened and he cared.</p><p>“Beel,….” My eyes welled with tears and the look of disappointment fell on his face.</p><p>“Oh…ok. I’m sorry I bothered you.” He got up to leave and I dove in front of him, kneeling in front of him and wrapping my arms around his waist.</p><p>“Don’t leave Beel, please….I’m so sorry!” this hurt a lot because out of the seven of them Beel was the one who saw me cry the most, who listened to my nightmares, who petted me until I went back to sleep. I didn’t want to ruin the relationship we had.</p><p>“Beel…. What I am going to say is a little complicated; I mean I’m not sure how to say it so I’m asking you to be patient with me.” He looked at me with sad eyes but nodded.</p><p>“Ok.”</p><p>“Do you remember the first moment we met? You sat on my bed and you offered me a jawbreaker out of kindness?”</p><p>“Yeah I remember.” I reached under my bed an pulled out a box, in it was a few mementoes and the jawbreaker he gave me.</p><p>“You didn’t eat it?”</p><p>“No, it was the first gift my very first friend gave me I wouldn’t want to part with it.” he blushed at that and looked at me confused.</p><p>“I keep it because it has good memories connected to it. like this was the first a I had ever gotten, this was the Band-Aid I got when I finally achieved catching my falls but scratched myself on a rock on the way down. And this is the first seed my Daddy ever gave me.” I held up a seed to his puzzled face, wondering what this all had to do with his rejection.</p><p> “Beel…I love you, but I am not in love with you; does that make sense? You are important to me in ways I wouldn’t want to ruin with romance. I think of you as my own brother; my real brother and I grew apart years ago but you and I are even closer than that. This may seem like an odd and selfish thing of me to say, but I want to keep you. I want what we have now to stay this way because I trust you like no one else. And the only way that it can stay that way is if we stay friends.”</p><p>“I suppose so….” I stood and closed and locked the door before kneeling in front of him again holding the seed in my palm.</p><p>“I want to show you how much I trust you Beel so that you understand.” I allowed my energy to flow into the seed, allowing it to sprout into a seedling.</p><p>“Wow, are you a witch or something?”</p><p>“No.” I put more energy into the plant making it wrap around my arm like a protective shield and a shoot outward from my fingertips making a sword like weapon. Beel looked at me wide eyed and speechless as I let the greenish aura surround me in full splendor.</p><p>“Y-you’re not fully human?”</p><p>“No Beel, I am half-demon by birth.”</p><p>“Does anyone else know?”</p><p>“Asmo, Mammon, Belphie and Levi, they found out by accident, you I am telling personally. Do you understand now?” he leaned over resting his elbows on his knees thinking it all over.</p><p>“You’re telling me because I’m your friend?”</p><p>“No, I’m telling you because you’re my best friend.” He looked up and smiled and I released the plant and wrapped my arms around him again and this time he hugged me back.</p><p>“I get to keep you forever this way?”</p><p>“I hope so.”</p><p>“I still really like you…but this is nice too.” I was relieved to keep Beel as my friend, Belphie had said a few of the brothers had begun to take a liking to me, I could only wonder where it was going to go from here.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. All is Fair in Love and War</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The advances are beginning to be too much for Jetea, and when a simple conversation becomes a battle royale she decides she is done with all of them for good. unfortunately going out alone will prove to be one of her biggest mistakes</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> Chapter 15</p><p>J</p><p>“I just don’t understand why the queen would give away her crown to someone who wasn’t planning to keep the kingdom together; I mean if you are going to pass the torch you need to make sure that person was capable for the job.”</p><p>“The point wasn’t to see if Mira could run a nation, but to do so with a kind heart. She showed more compassion and humility towards the citizens of north Sheol than her other daughter in south Sheol. The daughters were supposed to rule the nation together but the Maura was cruel and heartless, so they split the nation into two.”</p><p>“But that is what I’m saying, the nation should have stayed as one, if the queen knew her eldest wasn’t up for the job then her second child should have been made the singular queen or she shouldn’t have stepped down in the first place!” Satan pinched the bridge of his nose frustrated, usually our little debates on literature were fun but today was getting too heated and I stopped talking immediately.</p><p>“You are thinking too cut and dry about it; in those times it was the eldest right to have the throne but the queen knew that her daughter was too cruel and greedy. So she appointed her second child as well against the rules. It was so that the eldest could be influenced by the youngest and they rule the kingdom together in harmony the second child was too kind and she would have been overtaken while the oldest was too hateful and would have destroyed her country.”</p><p>“But the sisters split the nation and eventually went to war, in the end no one got the kingdom because the youngest was murdered and the eldest executed! Meanwhile the whole country was destitute and the mother committed suicide! What was the point of it all?!”</p><p>“That is why it is called “The Tragedy of Two Kingdoms” the tragic part being that the country would have thrived if the sisters worked together instead of against one another. It a life lesson if you will to learn compromise.” He smoothed his hand over the cover before placing it back into its place. His emerald eyes flashed at me and he gave me a big smile.</p><p>“You don’t have to pretend with me Satan, I know a fake smile when I see one; I made you angry just say it so I know where I’ve erred.” He leaned forward in his chair and studied me.</p><p>“There you go again, you always speak in that manner when something is troubling you.”</p><p>“I don’t know what you’re referring to Satan; I have nothing to be troubled about. He took my chin in his fingers and snapped my face back to his.</p><p>“What did I say about lying?”</p><p>“Take your hand off of me now.” I said it low, but I had felt my own rage bubble up so quickly that I couldn’t keep it out of my voice and he let go quickly.</p><p>“Fine; I don’t like when people refuse to open their minds to new concepts. It makes me angry when I have to explain the figurative language over and over again. And I don’t like people who come into my room and lie to my face!” now he was very mad, it was written all over his face. I was so good at making them mad lately; I felt like I was close to losing my friends left and right.</p><p>“Thank you, I can’t change my behavior when I don’t know what I’ve done wrong.” His eyes softened and he looked at me puzzled.</p><p>“Why do you think you need to change?”</p><p>“Because people don’t like me this way, I’m always doing something wrong to make them angry or humiliate me and I’m never told why.”</p><p>“What’s happened now?”</p><p>“Levi won’t speak to me; he…told me that he liked me, but I didn’t see him that way…I feel embarrassed because I wasn’t sure if I had done something to make him think I had.” Truth was Belphie, Beel and now Levi had all confessed to being interested in me and now I felt particularly awkward around them; but Levi was worse because he was awkward and insecure to begin with and he berated himself for even trying to ask me out.</p><p>“Hmm, well is there something about them that you don’t like or do you have a specific type?” oh no…</p><p>“I love all of them, but as friends…as brothers even. I am not perusing a romantic relationship; hell you guys are my first friends, I wouldn’t know what to do with a boyfriend!”</p><p>“I see.” I heard mild disappointment in his voice and my heart hurt again.</p><p>“And now I feel so awkward because…I don’t know how to approach them now; I’m afraid to say or do the wrong thing. I don’t want to hurt them or give false hope either.” I looked up and he was studying me again.</p><p>“I think it will be fine eventually; but you cannot blame them, you are smart, witty and very beauty-“</p><p>“Yes I’m beautiful! So people say! ‘she’s so pretty but her mouth is unattractive, oh wow she’s hot but she has the personality of a wet towel, she could get a husband if she weren’t so cold, I hear it all the time! I don’t care about what I look like! From the time I stared primary school I was made fun of because of my hair, they would run from me and say I was covered in blood or that I was on fire or something! And having this skin that’s just a bit browner than most of them made it worse, they called me names like mutt and half-breed. But soon they saw how smart I was and it only made things worse! So don’t tell me I’m pretty, don’t tell me I should be grateful for it because I will never believe it! none of you like me, but the idea of the version you want to see of me! It will only be a matter of time before I ruin any relationship I chose and then I’ve made an enemy of my friend because I didn’t meet expectations! Why can’t you all just let me have you guys the way you are!?!” damn I truly wasn’t on my best behavior, why did I fall apart so easily today? Satan took a gentle hand and wiped my cheek.</p><p>“That is the first time I have seen you cry…” He looked at me with urgency and I just begged for this moment to be over.</p><p>“don’t worry, I am not going to try to court you or anything; if the opportunity arose however I wouldn’t mind it, someone who understands me on an intellectual level is hard to come by even if they are human. You don’t have to fear me.” I leaned over and hugged him close and quickly pulled away, making him laugh.</p><p>“Be honest, you wanted to tell me that you were interested in me weren’t you?”</p><p>“I did, but that would obviously make you unhappy; and besides unlike the others I can take rejection. I would rather you liked none of us than another brother.”</p><p>“What is it about me?”</p><p>“For me? It’s your intelligence; and your love for books, your physical beauty is literally the cover of a very interesting novel. But you won’t hear me speak on the matter further.” I looked into his green eyes and a feeling of warmth came over me.</p><p>“Your eyes remind me of my fathers’….” He flushed then and I kicked myself.</p><p>“Is…that considered a good thing?”</p><p>“Oh….wow, I’m sorry I said that. Yes my father and I are very close I trust him unquestionably and I can see that when I look at you. He also values knowledge and discipline.”</p><p>“He is a very wise man, and a lucky one to have raised such a daughter.” He looked at me with a genuine smile and I felt my stomach twist in knots.</p><p>“My apologies, I mean that in the most platonic way.”</p><p>“Ha….thank you.” I couldn’t keep on tiptoeing around these guys, what was it that made them like me this way? Did I do something? I left Satan’s room and in a flash a pair of arms were around my waist, the only one who has been transparent from day one.</p><p>“Good afternoon Asmo.”</p><p>“Hello Rose! I missed you all day and I come to find that Satan’s had you all to himself, it isn’t fair.”</p><p>“So you were in Satan’s room? That figures…” Levi grumbled as he walked by.</p><p>“I can spend time with who I want to Levi, I don’t belong to anyone!”</p><p>“Yet ya got Asmo stuck to ya like a tick!” Mammon popped over to see what was going on in the hallway.</p><p>“Oi, Asmo, get off of her; you gotta ask my permission first!”</p><p>“Please like she would want a scummy idiot like you!!”</p><p>“Levi go back to makin’ out wit ya pillows will ya?” Levi punched Mammon in the face they all seemed to erupt. Satan came out of his room confused.</p><p>“What in the world?!”</p><p>“He started it he hit me!”</p><p>“The piece of shit wouldn’t shut up!”</p><p>“They are acting like ruffians, come on ‘Tèa, we’ll go to my room, I need a mannequin for an outfit I bought and I think our hips are about the same size don’t you?” Asmo’s hands floated to my hips and I gasped.</p><p>“Asmo get your damn hands off of her!” Satan pushed him away from me angrily.</p><p>“Don’t put your hands on me like that Satan!”</p><p>“What the hell are you guys fighting about?!” Belphie ran over trying to break up Mammon and levi.</p><p>“That jackass started it all!”</p><p>“Shut up you worthless scummy idiot!!”</p><p>“Satan you are always so mean, you had no right to shove me that way! Apologize to me, you could have bruised my beautiful skin!”</p><p>“You’re lucky I don’t bloody it!”</p><p>“Why do you get to have Jetèa in your room all day? What do you have that I don’t?!”</p><p>“Dignity, self-control, a fucking clue, I could go on!” Asmo threw a punch and them he and Satan went at it.</p><p>“Wait you were in Satan’s room?” Belphie looked up with suspicious eyes.</p><p>“Why do I need to explain myself to you or anyone?!” the scuffle between Mammon and Levi knocked him off his feet and Satan tackled Asmo and nearly took me out with him if Beel hadn’t blocked it with his body. He moved me out of the way of the commotion, looking at me with concern.</p><p>“Are you ok ‘Tèa? Are you hurt?” I hugged Beel, he was the only one who wasn’t acting like a barbarian. But I quickly pulled away more than angry at the whole situation.</p><p>“No Beel, I’m not ok….i’m done.”</p><p>L</p><p>I was pulled out of my papers by the sound of screaming and thudding; at first I assumed they were fighting like usual so I tried to at least get a few more things done before I punished them but then I heard Jetèa scream. This wasn’t a usual argument. I rushed own the halls to the source of the hall, Mammon was fighting Levi and Satan has Asmo on the ground. Belphie was screaming at them and poor Beel was trying to break it all up. their blatant act of indecency was all it took for me to change.</p><p>“THAT IS ENOUGH!! YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE ELITE DEMONS OF DEVILDOM AND HERE YOU ARE ACTING LIKE GUTTER TRASH!!” they stopped momentarily, and I separated them all.</p><p>“What is going on?!” none of them said a word.</p><p>“Nothing to say, then maybe I will start your punishments now.”</p><p>“It’s all Mammon’s fault as always! He’s always got something to say!”</p><p>“Levi hit me!”</p><p>“Satan was being a big brute.”</p><p>“Asmo was being lewd and disrespectful to Jetèa.”</p><p>“Speaking of which why was she in your room anyway?” Belphie interjected.</p><p>“WE were discussing a novel; not that it has anything to do with any of you?! But if you must know she was upset at the way all of you were acting around her!!”</p><p>“I just wanted her to model some clothes, I needed to take in a pair of silk pants and she’s my size!”</p><p>“In what dog years?”</p><p>“How dare you!!”</p><p>“ENOUGH!! All of you!!! This is shameful, you’re acting like animals! You should be ashamed!” They looked to the floor.</p><p>“Go to your rooms and stay there!” They began to move and Beel stood looking visibly upset.</p><p>“Beel you had no part in it, it’s ok. But can you tell me what happened?”</p><p>“I don’t know…but it upset Jetèa; I think they were all fighting over her.” I should have known this would happen eventually, just not with all of them!</p><p>“Well where did she go to, I need to get her side.” Beel looked down.</p><p>“Beel? Where is Jetèa? Is she hiding behind you?”</p><p>“She’s gone.”</p><p>“She went to her room?” He shook his head furiously and looked down.</p><p>“Are you keeping secrets from me?”</p><p>“She left….she said she was done with us and that she was leaving and to not stop her.” I stared at him for a moment wondering if what he said was right, but he was never one to lie.</p><p>“Beel…what is behind your back?” he struggled a little but pulled out a little seed from behind his back. This afternoon was bizarre and Beels behavior wasn’t making It any easier. Why hide a seed? I tried to take it from him and he pulled it back.</p><p>“No! It’s hers…if she comes back, I want it to be here for her.” I left him to his seed and went straight to Jetèa’s room, she wasn’t to be found and her things were untouched. My guess was if she did leave she never even came back to her room. I walked outside and looked around but she was nowhere nearby. This was serious; with no escort a human would be hunted and killed by a lower demon in a matter of an hour.</p><p>“Beel, come with me; we have to get her back or she’ll be killed!”</p><p>“Y-yes Lucifer.”</p><p>“Where would she go?”</p><p>“Ummm….maybe the library?”</p><p>“Good let’s start there.” I had no idea what was going on but I had to get her back, I couldn’t let her get hurt.</p><p>“Beel how could you let her go?!”</p><p>“I tried to stop her but….she was so mad.”</p><p>“She’s just a human Beel you could have easily overpowered her.”</p><p>“But I didn’t want to do that.”</p><p>“If it meant she stays safe then it would be necessary! She could be killed and then what would not hurting her feelings have accomplished?!! I never thought you could be so careless!!!” Beel looked crestfallen and I reeled back my anger, I had never raised my voice to him before, he never gave me trouble like the others do.</p><p>“I’m sorry Lucifer….”</p><p>“Let’s just find her before it’s too late.” Please….let her be okay.</p><p>J</p><p>The absolute nerve of them! I was so angry I wasn’t even paying attention to where I was going, I soon found myself traveling through a junkyard type place I had never seen I opened my senses and scanned for any nearby thoughts.</p><p>
  <em>I smell a human</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Looks like dinner came delivery. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>I’m going to fondle her breasts before I rib them from her body</em>
</p><p><em>Hmmm, looks like fun</em>.</p><p>I stopped dead in my tracks, there were four, and they had me at all sides. My training kicked in and I took a long thick wooden rod to use as a staff and took my stance as the debris began to clatter around me. They stepped out looking like they were boys about my age; but their eyes were blood red and their claws jagged like their teeth. Not the lowest level but they were still savages. One who I took to be the leader was blonde and had a pockmarked face that would otherwise be handsome. He smiled shark like teeth at me and let out a low….sadistic laugh.</p><p>“Well look at what we have here, a little human girl has come to our stomping grounds and thinks she can fight us.”</p><p>“She looks tasty, oh Damien let me have her thighs….” The shorter blue haired demon drooled.</p><p>“She’s pretty too, Let’s keep her head as a trophy, I have plans for her mouth.” The green haired one motioned closer.</p><p>“Foras, Ifirit….mind your manners; that is no way to talk to a lady, I believe we should show her <em>the upmost hospitality</em>.”</p><p>“Do not step near me, I am warning you; let me pass and no harm will come to you.” They laughed at me their stares becoming more sinister as they approached me. Damien was the only one who stood his ground, he was calm but I knew better; the calm ones were always the more dangerous, his thoughts were full of torture and lewd actions. He saw something about me he liked and so he wanted to take his time; he was going to make my death slow and very painful. I couldn’t hold back on this one, I had to show them their place. I may be half human but both of my parents had the bloodline of high class Yokai, and my human grandfather was a voodoo high priest, I was not going to succumb to a bunch of junk yard dogs. I changed my stance; I stood relaxed and crossed my arms looking Damien in the eyes.</p><p>“Damien…I must tell you that this is your final warning. I am not going to let you touch me; if you try I will be forced to injure you greatly.” He seemed to no longer be amused.</p><p>“You don’t make demands of me-“</p><p>“YOU WILL BE SILENT WHEN I SPEAK TO YOU!” I let my energy flow, my body ebbing and flowing with my pale green aura that made the others step back. I pulled my rose from my hair and unleashed my rose whip a cold and arrogant smile on my face.</p><p>“You will learn your place demon.”</p><p>“Hey, I thought she was just a human….she seems like one of us!”</p><p>“Do you not feel that power, she feels like an elite demon…. I think we should just-“</p><p>“SHUT UP!! This little bitch is not going to make a fool of me! Stand your ground, you will beg for death before I am through with you!” The one named Ifirit attacked first and I stood aside as he stumbled by. He turned and before he could turn again his limbs fell off.</p><p>“What the hell?!!”</p><p>“When did she move?!!”</p><p>“My rose whip can cut through nearly any object including stone, final warning Damien….back off.” He looked irritated at first but cocked his head and smiled sinisterly.</p><p>“You cut him three times and you call that a warning? You are a little bit of a sadist aren’t you? I like that in a woman…..”</p><p>“Three? Where?” Ifirit stepped forward and bent forward in pain just before his entrails spilled onto the ground. The remaining two stepped backwards in fear.</p><p>“One rule I was always taught was to never underestimate your opponent.” A pair of arms wrapped around me from behind and suplexed me. I felt massive pain in my neck and back and everything went blurry for a moment.</p><p>“Ironic…I would have said the same about you. Meet Xaphan, he will be disarming you and making you easier to handle.” The dark haired demon was as big and muscular as Beel but with white eyes and pale blue skin. I laid on the ground dazed, thinking quickly I remembered my training and rolled out from him and quickly got cover. They laughed maniacally and I tried to get my vision straight why didn’t I hear the last demons thoughts?</p><p>“She acted so tough but she’s on the run now Damien.”</p><p>“And I have her flower, she’s unarmed!”</p><p>“Boss. We kill now?” The last demon doesn’t think much, figures.</p><p>“Go get her, but bring her alive and mostly in one piece, I want to have fun as well.”  So here I was unarmed, in a remote area with four dangerous demons hunting me down like an animal. The guys were nowhere around and I lost my rose. It was time to put my training to the test, Mother, Daddy…I hope I do you proud.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. A Fight for Survival</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jetea is trapped in the junkyard with several rouge demons determined to make her suffer, she must use her wits and skill to survive. Lucifer and Beel try desperately to find her before it's too late.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 16</p><p>L</p><p>We searched the entire library to no avail, she simply wasn’t here, I was getting more and more agitated as the seconds passed. If something happened to her not only would Diavolo look terrible letting a student die, but I would be personally responsible as she was under my direct care. I stood outside trying to think of where she would go as Beel came up behind me with a look of disappointment.</p><p>“She isn’t there either…where could she have gone.”</p><p>“I am trying to think of that myself. Has she told you anything Beel, about a friend or where she would go?”</p><p>“No...but she was very upset, she said we were her only friends.” I pulled out my DDD and called her after three rings it went straight to voicemail.</p><p>“Jetèa, this is Lucifer; you need to call me back. Tell us where you are so we can find you.” I could feel my frustration mounting, that cursed girl knew how to work my nerves. I dialed a different number.</p><p>“Mammon, get the others and spread out across RAD. BECAUSE SHE RAN OFF OVER YOUR IDIOCY!! Get them out here now!!” I hung up and tried her again, this time it went to voicemail after just one ring.</p><p>“Jetèa, I do not know what game you are trying to play; but this ends now! Tell us where you are or so help me when I find you, you will wish you never came!!” I pinched the bridge of my nose and tried hard to think.</p><p>“Lucifer don’t be afraid, we will find her.”</p><p>“Beel I am not afraid… I am concerned that if something were to happen to her the image of This program and Diavolo would be very tarnished! She was so reckless to run away like this and her behavior is infuriating me!”</p><p>“So after everything, that is the only thing you are upset about, your image? What if she IS killed Lucifer?! After the time we spent with her is she nothing but an incident report to you?!” Beel looked at me angrily his face red as a beet; he truly cared for her. I was worried about the program of course, Diavolo put his heart into the human demon relations and any incident with her was not tolerable. But thinking on Beel’s words…remembering everything that had transpired I couldn’t write her off as an incident report as he had accused; but I had to keep a level head. If I made the wrong decision, if I didn’t get to her in time…. I would never forgive myself.</p><p>“No Beel, but we must keep a level head….the greenhouse, let’s go there!” We ran in that direction, I could only hope that we would find her soon.</p><p>J</p><p>“Get after her, but keep her alive, I have plans for her!” I heard Damien’s voice ring out; and my heart slammed in my chest. I had to think…what did daddy say?</p><p>(First…remain calm, keep your breathing steady. Logic is panic’s prey.)I took three deep breaths, and felt myself begin to relax.</p><p>(Watch your opponent, find their weakness, form your strategy; if possible stay out of sight but when you have to go head on, do your best to not let them get to your own weak points. Buy enough time for them to drop their guard.) I stayed low within the junk and silent, as I watched as the demon called Foras went to the left and the unnamed one went right, Xaphan went to the left along with Foras and broke off in another direction.</p><p>    I pulled myself into a tight space, there was a bit of an area behind me but it was only a few feet big and the wall was a refrigerator so it was a dead end. My plan was to get Foras to pass me, and then I would attack him from behind, knocking him out. My DDD starts to go off alerting Foras before he got to me and spotting me immediately. He charged me getting wedged in the tight space, using his claws to swipe at me as he snarled viciously. I had my back to the Refrigerator pressing as far back as I could, his claws ripped open my shirt, cutting my skin. I wanted to scream in pain but I knew it would alert the others. I reached forward and grabbed his arm and snapping it in a sideways motion, he howled as I moved forward and opened the refrigerator I pulled him by his broken arm into the tiny space and struck his neck knocking him out. I then shoved him inside the refrigerator and pulled a large piece of debris from the bottom to make the small tunnel collapse.</p><p>   I took the noise to my advantage and climbed the mountain of wreckages to get a better vantage point. I was maybe ten feet up when I spotted the other two come see what the commotion was about. I took what appeared to be a toaster and threw it behind them as they investigated the fallen rubble. Xaphan turned away to see about the noise and it left the other demon directly below me. I looked over the horizon and tried to think, if these were the only ones in their group then I could escape by lying low and covering ground to the east I would have to stay quiet so not to alert them but it was possible. My DDD goes off again and the demon looks straight up at me and I quickly hit the button for voicemail. I jumped head first at the demon, putting my hands on each of his shoulders to brace myself I swung my knees forward to grab him at both sides of his head. I then twisted my body clockwise, using the momentum of the fall to fling him away twisting his neck sharply as he was flung several feet. I hit the ground and rolled behind a large metal sheet. Xaphan didn’t see me, I looked through the reflection of a broken mirror that he was inspecting the body of his fallen comrade. So from what I knew there was him and Damien left, I searched and pulled out my DDD; hell it would be Lucifer that keeps calling. Other than that I didn’t have anything and the surrounding area was mostly dirt, concrete and metal.</p><p>“Patar…why are you sleeping, Damien will be mad if we don’t get the girl.” If my life weren’t on the line I would feel pity for attacking this simple demon. If I could get a hold of him then Damien wouldn’t be too difficult one on one. I spotted a thick chain just by my foot, if I can use that to bring him down I can get to Damien. Just one more obstacle to go.</p><p>L</p><p>“Dammit, she isn’t here either!” I kicked aside one of her watering cans in frustration.</p><p>“Lucifer…”</p><p>“Where would she go, why would she go off like this with no escort?! How could she be so foolish, this isn’t like her!” Beel threw is arms around me holding me still.</p><p>“Beel what in hell are you doing?!”</p><p>“Trying to calm you down!”</p><p>“I am calm…so take your hands off me.”</p><p>“No you’re not, you’re shaking.”</p><p>“I’m shaking because I’m angry Beel, she could cost Diavolo everything; the program could be ruined!”</p><p>“Then why is it you only mention that when I ask what’s wrong? You’ve been ranting about her since she left but you only mention the program or Diavolo when I mention it.”</p><p>“I…..”</p><p>“It is okay to admit you’re worried about her Lucifer, we all are.” How is it this girl can get under my skin in so many ways? I could despise her one day and the next I have this ardent need to keep her safe. If she wasn’t so damned defiant I wouldn’t be going through this fruitless search. My DDD buzzed and to my disappointment it was Mammon.</p><p>“Oi, she ain’t at the gym I checked twice; Levi Belphie and Satan checked the school an’ came up wit nothin’ and Asmo is asking around but no one’s seen her.”</p><p>“Then check elsewhere until you find her!! It is your fault she left in the first place!! You have to be the most stupid irresponsible lot I have ever-“</p><p>“LUCIFER!! CALM DOWN!!” Beel gripped me tighter resting his forehead on me as I shook with rage he was trying to keep me from transforming.</p><p>“We have to keep a level head if we hope to find her, you said that!” damn this girl, what are these feelings she stirring up in me? I looked to her plants as I steadied my breathing and saw the Rosary pea she had compared me to in the past. I had to keep the level head; I had to keep everyone together for her sake. And yet why was it she was making me so unlike myself? Beel finally let me go and I tried to think of where to go next. I put my DDD to my ear and Mammon was still on.</p><p>“Keep looking Mammon, she has to be here somewhere…..okay, bye.” The only thing I could think to do was call her again. This time it rang all the way through until going to voicemail.</p><p>“When she shut her ringer off I could at least assume she was ignoring us, but she didn’t answer at all.”</p><p>“Maybe she left it behind somewhere.” I put it back into my pocket.</p><p>“Maybe she went to see Diavolo, I’d hate to bring this to his attention but-“ My DDD began to ring, and it was Jetèa! I answered it quickly.</p><p>“Jetèa, I do not know what game it is your trying to play but it is over now! Tell me where you are so we can come get you right now!” There was a moment of silence.</p><p>“Ahhh, so that is what her name is. Thank you very much for that, she was being awfully stubborn. And here we were showing her such hospitality.” Hearing this demons voice proved my worst fear had come to pass. I couldn’t worry Beel, not now, I had to know the entirety of the situation. I pressed the locator so that I could trace the call.</p><p>“Yes she is a defiant one, now if you would kindly put her on the phone.”</p><p>“Oh tsk tks tsk, no can do, you see she is a little busy with my boys right now they want to show her a good time.”</p><p>“You listen to me, if you so much as harm one hair on her head I will rain down upon you with a wrath you have never seen.”</p><p>“Lucifer isn’t it? ha, why you are the strongest demon in Devildom next to Lord Diavolo himself. Hmm, curious what he would want with this human; is this about that convoluted program that’s going on, I mean there are even angels here how putrid.”</p><p>“Lucifer?! Junkyard, go to the junkyard!!”</p><p>“Shut up you little bitch!!” I heard him strike her and her fall to the ground while other demons laughed.</p><p>“You let her go now!!”</p><p>“Uhhhh, no….no I don’t think I will. Bye bye now.” He hung up and just short of getting the trace.</p><p>“Lucifer….?” Beel wasn’t stupid he knew something was very wrong I made a conference call with the others as we began to run.</p><p>“Go to the junkyard, some demons are holding her hostage but I don’t know how long she has. Hurry NOW!!” We transformed and took to the sky. Jetèa, you are the smartest human I know, think of a way to stay alive until I get there, that’s all I need for you to do.</p><p>J</p><p>I just have to get that chain and I will-</p><p>“Well look what we have here!” A new demon appeared in the mirror; another set of hands grabbed me and there was a fierce struggle. Three of them we on me at once and they all had a hold. Damn, if I had Mother’s telekinetic powers I could just fling them all away!! My DDD began to ring again and this time I reached to answer it only for Damien to stomp on my hand.</p><p>“You know you should put that on vibrate if you’re going to hide from someone” They began stomping on me while he laughed.</p><p>“That’s enough, I SAID THAT’S ENOUGH!! I told you I have plans for her.” they stopped their assault and he lifted me by my hair to look at me while the other two grabbed each arm</p><p>“You’re a mutt, go figure….you’re gorgeous though I’ll give you that and you can work under pressure. That thing you did with your rose…” He put his face close to mine and smelled me deeply making me cringe and then he moved a hand up my thigh caressing gently.</p><p>“I can forgive you being half human with those skills. How would you like to be my girl, I can make you scream the way no human man ever could.” I spit blood right in his face, making the others gasp. He slowly wiped his face and began to laugh.</p><p>“You are a fiery one, that blood red hair is fitting. In all honesty I was going to kill you the same even if you agreed. You think you’re better than me because the demon half of you was a high class idiot who mated with a stupid human? It only makes you twice as worthy of death; but don’t worry I will have fun before you have your last breath.” He took a claw ad dragged it along my cheek, I could feel the blood spilling. He laughed and stood with my DDD in his hand and began scrolling.</p><p>“Ah…Lucifer has been calling you I see; is he why you won’t return my advances? A half-breed like you isn’t worth licking the dirt from my shoe! And yet you have the second most powerful demon after you? No wonder you are so arrogant!” I wanted to protest but if I made them think that he was my lover they would back off due to fear of vengeance.</p><p>“You speak to me like I’m lower than you, even if half my blood is from an Elite Yokai it is still worth more than the scum of yours! And once Lucifer finds you he will make you feel suffering! You do not want to feel his fury!” Damien dealt me a hard slap to the face and his friends laughed once more.</p><p>“You think I give a damn about some high class asshole?!” he then took my DDD and called a number; after two rings someone answered angrily.</p><p>“Ahh, Jetèa, so that’s her name. Thank you very much for that, she was being awfully stubborn. And here we were showing her such hospitality. Oh no, see she is busy having a good time with my boys and all so I can’t let her go when we want to show her a good time. Lucifer isn’t it? ha, why you are the strongest demon in Devildom next to Lord Diavolo himself. Hmm, curious what he would want with this ‘human’; is this about that convoluted program that’s going on, I mean there are even angels here how putrid. I would figure a demon of your rank would have better taste.” He looked to me as he pointed his bloodied finger and put it in his mouth while Lucifer spoke. I knew at this moment I couldn’t do it alone I needed his help.</p><p>“Lucifer?! Junkyard, go to the junkyard!!” I was met with a hard backhand that sent me to the ground while the others laughed. Just next to my face was some type of dandelion in its fertility stage I quickly took hold of it before they lifted me again. This time, Damien was off of the phone.</p><p>“What a bad girl you are Jetèa I am going to enjoy tearing you apart!”</p><p>“Boss what we do with her?” Damien looked at me sinisterly.</p><p>“I think we should scar up this pretty face of hers, and work our way down. Then I want to have some real fun with you…I will make you scream my name, then make you scream for your life.” I shuddered as he licked and then bit my neck. He then gripped me by my hair and put his lips to mine, forcing his tongue in my mouth and grabbing my behind.</p><p>“you will be tied either way but which would you like, blindfold or none?”</p><p>“That sounds fun, can we watch?” Damien backed away to take off his shirt while he was talking I had slid off my shoe most of the way and kicked backwards so that it would slip off and make a noise behind me, the two that held me at both sides looked back and I took that instant to pull my two arms together forcefully and bang their heads together making them release me. I leapt backwards and grabbed the chain using it as a whip to strike them in the head as they got up, knocking them out. Damien tried to grab me but I blew the dandelion sees in his face.</p><p> I then made a run for it to find cover again but Xaphan was hot on my trail.  Dove through an opening in the debris and he smashed right through it. I was cornered and he knew it. I had the stem of the dandelion and I formed a sort of dagger with it.</p><p>“Hey, ‘Tèa, do you see her anywhere Asmo?!!” Mammon and Asmo were flying high overhead. But their shout distracted me and Xaphan came at me narrowly missing me as I dodged his right swing by going left. I then jumped upward, slashing his eyes with my leaf blade and getting hit with a strong forearm as consequence. He screamed in pain just as the others were coming down to land and I jumped onto his shoulders and swung around his back putting my knees to both sides of his head. Locking my ankles I threw back my body and sent him flying to the ground. My body was in fight or flight mode, once I saw Xaphan was down I ran out of there without looking back. Damien tackled me and pinned me to the ground, I still had the stem and slashed at his face, he leaned back but I was able to cut him slightly before he grabbed my head and slammed it onto the ground. A high pitched wine rang in my ears muffling his horrible laugh. He had me pinned on my stomach pressing himself against me as he punched me in the head again and again and taking my weapon away.</p><p>“You know something I have to give it to you, you are a feisty little bitch. You killed nearly all my boys, hell even took Xaphan out and yet in the end here we are.” I was exhausted and weak and I hurt all over. I looked over and saw a dandelion seed just under my fingernail….this is it, I only had one shot or I was done for. He turned me on my back and pressed himself against me.</p><p>“You know you have me conflicted for the first time in a very long while; I don’t know whether I should slit your throat now and watch you die or keep you and make you my pet, starve you until you know how to comply. I can have a gentle hand to those who submit to me.” He licked the blood from my face and I slapped him hard earning a hard head butt.</p><p>“You stupid little whore!” He took a free hand and unzipped his pants.</p><p>“No, Leave me alone!! Get off of me!! SOMEBODY HELP ME, PLEASE!!” he reached under my skirt to touch me and I screamed. Why won’t the seed grow and devour him?!! Was I too tired, did it fall out of his wound?!</p><p>“Ooh Lucifer was right you are defiant!!” he leaned down to kiss me again.</p><p>“And what else did I say?” there was a silence about a breath and a half long before Damien was snatched away from me in a flash. There was horrible screaming and the sound of bones breaking and suddenly it all went quiet. I had rolled onto my hands and knees trying to catch my breath.</p><p>L</p><p>The Lowlife bastard was trying to rape her, I made quick work of him before he could inflict any more damage. Leaving his broken body on the ground I went to her, she was on her hands and knees hyperventilating.</p><p>“Jetèa, are you alright?” I placed my hand on her and she swung at me with something sharp before trying to run.</p><p>“Jetèa stop!!” I grabbed her hand and lashed out again cutting my arm, I pulled her in and held her trying to calm her down, she was still trying to fight.</p><p>“LET ME GO, GET OFF OF ME!!”</p><p>“You need to calm down, it’s okay!”</p><p>“No it isn’t!!!” She elbowed me and turned on me, her face was swollen and she was bleeding from her head, her shirt was nearly ripped from her body.</p><p>“How long, how long before any of you do the same to me!!?”</p><p>“I don’t understand…”</p><p>“I am not some prize to be won, I am not some piece of meat to be fought over!! I can’t do this anymore!! I can’t have eyes on me all hours of the day and night wondering if I will accept their advances or if they should just take me for themselves!! There is nothing special about me!!” she tried to run again and I grabbed her, she swung kicked and bit but I held her firm.</p><p>“Let me go, get away from me!! I don’t want to be here anymore!!”</p><p>“THEN GO!! Get out of here, pack your bags and I will have you sent off tonight!! But don’t you run away from me again; stay where I can protect you!” She seemed dazed for a moment and her eyes struggled to meet mine as she sniffled.</p><p>“Why did you even come, I thought…” She put her hand to her head, she must’ve gotten hurt worse than I thought, damn…I should have gotten here sooner.</p><p>“Look at me ‘Tèa, I would never hurt you; and I wouldn’t allow it of my brothers either. If there was an issue you should have come to me, I was so worried about you.” And there, I said it; what I had been trying not to say all of this time….i was worried about her, I feared for her life.</p><p>“You…were worried….?”</p><p>“Yes, Jetèa….we are friends aren’t we? I was afraid for your safety.” She collapsed in my arms; I removed my overcoat and covered her body as she sobbed uncontrollably.</p><p>“I tried, I tried so hard….their thoughts were so horrible and I couldn’t focus!”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“The seed…didn’t…work……why didn’t it work!”</p><p>“Jetèa….i don’t understand.”</p><p>“He…he tried to…..he was ….going to….” I held her tight just as the others had found our location. I lifted her in my arms as she continued to cry and I whispered to her as I carried her home.</p><p>“Shhh, it’s okay; I have you now. I won’t let anyone hurt you again, you have my word.” No I wouldn’t let anyone hurt you again; if I had a closer eye on you this wouldn’t have happened, my little kindred spirit; I know how it is to want to fight on your own, but you won’t be on your own as long as I’m here, not because of the program but because it’s you.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. A Rose Draped in Shadows</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jetea struggles to deal with the aftermath of the junkyard incident, Everyone has a hard time as she will not speak to them,</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 17<br/>L<br/>The next day was approaching; I don’t recall if I even bothered to sleep or even could sleep watching Tèa lay here all night. This girl......I feel such a sense of fault for what happened to her. My mind is relaying the events of the day before, the constant question of “if I was there a few minutes earlier, or what if I was there a few minutes later” ran through my mind like a wheel, spinning me out of my own control and that was what troubled me the most.<br/> I clenched my first tightly, I don’t understand why she just won’t open up to me when she is dealing with issues…I know why, because she is just like me. She wants to handle it alone, fight on her own because her own pride won’t allow her to ask for help or even accept it…my little kindred spirit.  This girl keeps her darkness locked away as I do my own…and it wasn’t until the events of the day before that I have come to realize that I want to know more about it. Is it truly like mine? Does she suffer as I do? <br/>I watched the steady rise and fall of her chest as she slept. Why does my darkened heart hurt at the possibility I could have lost her last night? She is safe, but for how long?<br/>She fluttered her eyes and my breath caught as she opened them; she shot up in a gasp as though still in the middle of her nightmare.<br/>“’tèa, its ok you’re safe; you’re back home now…he won’t be a bother to you ever again.” She looked around quickly to get her bearings and pushed herself into a far corner of the bed away from me.<br/>“Go away…” was all she said, and in honesty I was hurt that she had said it and very confused.<br/>“You have to tell me what happened, what did my idiot brothers do to make you run away? Jetèa…..i need you to talk to me.”<br/>“Why, so you can properly fill out your incident report?! You don’t give a damn why I left and if it wasn’t your job to look out for me you never would have come for me!!”<br/>“That isn’t true!”<br/>“Bullshit!! If I were some random human that ended up here and got into the same trouble would you have swooped in like that?! If Diavolo didn’t give a damn about my life would you have batted an eye?!” <br/>“I would have found it unfortunate, but I wouldn’t have formed the search party I did.”<br/>“Exactly as I thought….what is it about me that makes people want to target me! <br/>“Jetèa….” She pulled her knees into her chest shaking her head.<br/>“I should have been able to handle them all, he was the last one….i lost focus, I lost control….” She began to claw at her thighs and I snatched her hands making her panic.<br/>“Get your hands off of me!!”<br/>“I’m not going to hurt you! Don’t you see that by now?!”<br/>“Why then, why won’t you hurt me? You hated me before, you wanted me in my place remember? You wanted me gone remember? Well that was your BIG CHANCE you were home free! He was going to torture me and kill me so that he could feast on my body…you could’ve been free of me…why did you bother to come if that were the case?!”<br/>“I never wanted you to get hurt, never…..no matter our past differences I would have come for you every time.”<br/>“Right…because it’s your job to give a damn.”<br/>“No..”<br/>“THEN WHAT? Why would you save a worthless little mutt like me? why am I so special that everyone both loves and hates me? Why, tell me why you came in and killed that guy?” I wasn’t sure what to tell her…she was asking very personal things now that even I didn’t have the answer to.<br/>“You are not worthless…far from it; you carry something within you that is unique, and it makes others want to know more. It can either bring out the best or worst in others, but no matter what…worthless is never the name for it.” She looked at me with tears in her eyes a flash of anger distorted her face before turning it away from me.<br/>“Leave my room….now.” I wanted to tell her so many other things, but I had no words; I couldn’t bring her from her own confusion when I was unsure myself.<br/>“GET OUT!!” she was beginning to cry, Beel, Belphie or Asmo would hold her now, Satan and Mammon would be stubborn and stay, Levi would just change the subject. What did I do? I silently got up and left her, I left her to battle her darkness alone, it’s what I would want…even if it was the last thing I needed.<br/>J<br/>How could I have let that happen, I had been trained for situations like this my whole life!! If I had taken them out with my whip right away it wouldn’t have gotten so far! I had gotten so arrogant thinking they would back off!! I was not strong enough to survive out here….then what was all the training for? What if…the training wasn’t the problem? I did as I was supposed to, but I let the enemy get to my weak points because I wanted to be dominating, I wanted them to fear me. I should have let them think I was human, and it would have given me a chance to get the upper hand by surprising them. The training wasn’t the problem…it was me.<br/> I stood and looked out the window, it was afternoon, class would be over in a few hours and they would all be back. I didn’t want to face any of them; I didn’t want them to believe that I truly needed them to survive. They would only pity me, and coddle me and I hated it, the looks in their eyes like they are more fortunate than I was. I walked to my door and locked it; I didn’t want anything to do with them; it all started because they couldn’t let me be, we couldn’t just be happy as friends; they wanted more, demons always want more!! I looked in the mirror, my face was bruised but the cut was closing up well; on my chest they seemed to be healing too, it had only been a day?<br/>“hello…Jetèa, I have to check your injuries and I brought you food.” It was a voice I didn’t recognize.<br/>“Go away, I don’t need any help!” the door opened anyway and a pretty angel walked in, he was blonde with pretty blue eyes and his robes were the whitest of white and carried gold emblems on them. He was close to my height, a little shorter and he looked like he was maybe fourteen? But as an angel he had to have been much older.<br/>“yeah, I know; I was told you would be difficult once you woke up.” he sat in the chair next to my bed and opened his bag to pull out bottles of elixirs and creams. <br/>“You’re on of the exchange students too?”<br/>“Yes, my name is Luke; I’m an exchange student just like you, Now come and sit on your bed so that I can look at you.” He was kind but stern, I sat and he looked at my face.<br/>“It’s a lot better but not there yet; drink this, it will take away any pain and discomfort.” I swallowed the small bottle of fluid, the stiffness and pain I felt went away in mere moments. he dabbed my head with a cotton ball with medicine.<br/>“Honestly I don’t know what you were thinking, going out there alone those lower level demons are complete savages, you are lucky to be alive! If they weren’t looking for you like they were it would have been very bad for you! You cannot be so reckless in Devildom, it is just unsafe!”<br/>“You’re scolding me like a child!”<br/>“Compared to me you are a child! You wander out into a junkyard full of rouge demons and you expect to not be attacked? You don’t know the strength and mindset of everyone here, so it is exceptionally foolish to assume you can handle them; especially on your own!” he took a cream and rubbed my bruised arms and they began to lighten. He got to my chest and sighed exasperated.<br/>“Azrael, I need a chaperone! Would you come on?!” A Girl with pale blue hair and silver eyes, she was petite and her dress was very frilly and pretty. She carried a tray of food and set it on the nightstand before standing by the window facing our direction. Luke seemed to get frustrated as he worked to inspect the closing wounds on my chest and as I had to unbutton further revealing a small amount of cleavage his face flushed and he stood.<br/>“Why are you so stubborn, what is the point of you being here if you are so prejudiced?”<br/>“I didn’t ask to be here, I was simply chosen! I hate being around their kind, I won’t have anything to do with it!” she shook her head and shut her eyes.<br/>“I don’t understand…I did nothing to you and I’m only hum-“<br/>“LIAR!! You demons are all alike, you lie to get what you want and use others! You’re all-“<br/>“Azrael, that’s enough! She has done nothing to us; it is your hard heart and your lack of compassion as to why you were chosen! She is a person who needs our help and you have to do it, so get over yourself!” she looked like she was about to cry and I turned back to Luke confused.<br/>“She said….I was.”<br/>“We know you’re half demon, or some type of hybrid; the water we used to clean you actually irritated your skin a bit when it was supposed to heal. With a demon it would have scalded the skin.<br/>“She lied to get here!”<br/>“Be silent!” Oh no, they knew.<br/>“I assume you told Diavolo and the others then?”<br/>“No, I didn’t see a need to; it wouldn’t have made a difference since you obviously live as a human. Your lineage doesn’t matter but your character does and that is the importance of this program, to understand that in each other.” Azrael looked thoughtful but stood er ground; I decided to take the medicine.<br/>“That is fine, I can treat my own wounds myself, you know for an angel you seem pretty insightful.”<br/>“Well this isn’t my first year here; I was chosen for the first year and I hated it so I know what Azrael is feelings but they aren’t all bad especially the brothers.”<br/>“The brothers….they don’t care about me….they have watch out for me it’s their job.” Luke turned his back while I treated myself and changed my bandages.<br/>“Their job? Lucifer and Satan care about their tasks, but I haven’t seen Mammon actually do his job in the years I’ve known him and the others are okay but they aren’t what I would call responsible. My point is unless it really mattered to them they wouldn’t have done it.”<br/>“We if they weren’t such jerks I wouldn’t have left! I don’t want to be here now.”<br/>“Be that as it may they do care about you, Lucifer stayed by your side all night. And the others made you breakfast but you refused to come down.”<br/>“Lucifer….The avatar of pride Luifer?”<br/>“I’m as surprised as you; he seemed really worried about you though he would never admit it.” I thought about what he had said to me and how hatefully I had treated him. And even if he was sincere in his motives I didn’t want anything to do with them…I couldn’t face them or any demon after what happened. I finished applying the medication and the two proceeded to leave, Azrael still not meeting my eyes.<br/>“Listen, those brothers….well they aren’t bad; but sometimes they can be a handful. They mean well, just give them another chance.”<br/>“An angel advocating for demons….that’s a sight. Luke smiled and threw up a victory sign.”<br/>“This school will do that to you.”  He laughed as he shut the door and once again I was alone.<br/>L<br/>I sat in class all day thinking of her; it had been two weeks since her ordeal and she refuses to speak to any of us. My mind wandered to the vision of her sitting alone in her room, I know she leaves it at night because I hear her soft footsteps in the halls. I don’t approach her though, since she had casted me from her room I have come to simply leave her alone. My brothers would knock and plead incessantly at her door to no avail. Not even Beel could get to her but he did leave notes under her door daily. <br/> In honesty it was foolish to be thinking of her this way, if she didn’t want anything to do with us then she shouldn’t be bothered and she certainly shouldn’t be on my mind. But then…my mind travels back to the moment she clung to me and wept; the one moment in her life where I was all she needed as I carried her in my arms and when I promised her….<br/>“Simply foolish!”<br/>“Is there a problem Lucifer?” The other students looked my way and Mammon looked the most intrigued. I cleared my throat.<br/>“No ma’am, please continue.” They knew better than to whisper in my presence; even still, this cursed female was working my last nerve.<br/>J<br/>“So word is you took out three demons on your own, like how did you manage to do that?” Eliza and I sat in Riley’s room studying; but it seemed all they could focus on was me.<br/>“I have been trained from the time I was four in survival skills, weather they were demons or not they were only thugs and treated as such.” Eliza braided my hair, I detested it but she insisted, even laced It with black ribbon<br/>“But even still, it was amazing to think it happened and they went any demons either, heck most of the students fears that group. To be honest I feel sad for them,”<br/>“Why would you feel sad for a bunch of disgusting thugs who wanted to kill me, how could you ever feel sorry for someone like that?” I could feel her blue eyes bore into me with an intensity I found intimidating, yet she still plaited so gently. <br/>“I’m sorry, did you know them their whole lives? Do you know what events made them believe that being that was the right thing to do? Have you never made a mistake before that you regret? What if this was theirs?! In the end they lost their lives, you are angry they tried to kill you but you did kill them, who is the real beast?” I pulled from her and turned on them.<br/>“Are you saying I’m no different than those savages?! Are you calling me a monster?!”<br/>“The fact that your mind turns to that notion says exactly what you are thinking. Is that also why you are avoiding the brothers too? You were all inseparable before.”<br/>“If you care so much about them then why don’t you live with them?!” <br/>“Hey….girls, you don’t have to fight, it’s my fault for bringing it up!”<br/>"Whether you brought it up or not, Eliza should mind her own business! She has no right to demonize me!"</p><p>"Am I demonizing you by humanizing them? Are we not all passengers on the ride of life? Why are you so angry at demons suddenly?" I looked at them both, so angry i couldn't see and yet i couldn't answer her.</p><p>"They never had a decent reputation to begin with, why shouldn't I be cautious?"</p><p>"But...'Tèa...you were never that way before. You were talking about learning the culture, that it was important for Rad..."</p><p>"I am allowed to change my opinion am I not?! Why are you both on my case?"</p><p>"Because you are not being yourself." They were right, I wasn't being myself.  All my thoughts have been consumed by Damien's hideous face. I still hear his laughter at night and I have to walk around to calm myself. <br/>I should have handled him first; I should have ripped his ugly head off when I had first seen him. I felt entirely incompetent about the whole situation and it made me furious.  </p><p>"Come on 'Tèa, I know we haven't talked too often, but i think we're friends; you can talk to us." Riley touched my shoulder and I reflexively smacked him away. Eliza came closer, putting my face in her hands.</p><p>"You've been through a traumatic experience; there is no shame in admitting it affected you." Her dark hair fell over her shoulder as she tilted her head.  At first she was so dismissive with people; but she is quite touchy when she gets to know them. But it seemed she had a special liking to me.</p><p>"It wasn't ideal, but I can manage." She brushed her finger through a stray strand of my hair.</p><p>"What is your obsession with my hair?!"</p><p>"It suits you, and it's my favorite color." </p><p>"But you always wear black!" Riley balked.</p><p>"You can like something and not partake in it. That is allowed. And besides, I feel something in your aura Jetèa, something ... special." She stroked my face and looked into my eyes making me feel very awkward.</p><p>"Your eyes are mostly green, did you know that those with green eyes are said to contain magic power? I would be ecstatic if you feel the call to join the occult. Every witch needs a coven."</p><p>"I'm not a witch alright?! But now I know that you are, is that why you have such a thing for demons as well?"</p><p>"All life forms are connected,  but demons are closer to the realm of the of my heart than, others." She let me go and shared one of her rare smiles."</p><p>"Okay.....so 'Tèa, when are you going back to class? The teachers are worried."</p><p>"I don't see why, I have been submitting my work, even if I haven't sat in class."</p><p>"And still getting higher grades than everyone else. Lady Qetsiyah is worried about your wellbeing, and so am I." </p><p>"I didn't ask for you guys to worry.”</p><p>"Aw don't worry about it, that’s what friends do." And they were right, but I didn’t want their pity.  </p><p>"I'm fine so stop it. " we didn't speak on it further,  and I couldn't help but feel that I was now farther apart from them than the day we had met. I didn’t speak to them often but we had considered each other friends. I suppose it wasn't meant to be. I didn’t want them to pity me or to praise me for being weak, I hate that, I hate that more than anything! None of them had the right to say I had trauma or that I should pour my heart out like I was some blubbering nitwit. I hated them for that in that moment even if I would’ve said the same thing if the roles were reversed. Why is that? Why would I defend Mammon and comfort him and yet shy away when someone wants to do the same? Why would I pacify Beel so that he wouldn’t hurt from my rejection and then tear down anyone who seemed in my eyes to patronize me? Why did I want so much to have friends and yet shove them away at every turn?! I don’t know. Maybe I didn’t need them, if I wasn’t so foolish I would have destroyed them all and wouldn’t have needed saving. I know they expect me to forgive them now, they were the reason I ran in the first place….at this point, I didn’t know about anything anymore except that I felt so angry, sad, smothered and yet alone.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Open the Door</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jetea still struggles with the aftermath of the attack, she finally begins to open up and she learns a little more about her own pride. In doing so she realizes that someone else may have even darker depths in their heart.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 18</p><p>I dreamt about Damien again, he had massive fingers trying to touch me everywhere and voracious eyes prying into my soul. He held me down and I could taste nothing but blood and his putrid tongue that smelled of rot. I was tired and I screamed and no one could hear me. Then in a flash, I felt myself being lifted gently by something with large black wings….like a dark angel…</p><p>A knock at the door jolted me out of my sleep.</p><p>“’Tèa….hey Tèa, you were screaming are you ok?” It was Beel…it was always Beel; he never stopped trying to talk to me even when the others fell away. I crept out of bed and tiptoed to the door not making a sound, I sat beside it as he stood there.</p><p>“Look I know you’re not going to open the door, I know you’re not even going to speak to me; but I feel like you need someone. So, I’m just going to sit here and talk to get your mind off of everything ok?” I didn’t answer him and I heard him sit.</p><p>“Well today I got my Algebra test back; and I did even better than last time because of your system, I felt really good about it. And Mammon made Lucifer mad, as always, I’m not sure what he did but he’s hanging from the chandelier right now, he might be let down in the morning.” I imagined Mammon crying and yelling as he swung, poor thing, his antics always get him in trouble.</p><p>“He says it’s your fault; that you keep him in line and you haven’t been around to do your job. Let’s see…then Satan made dinner, he tried to make your chicken masala, but it just wasn’t the same…something was missing from it. There is a lot missing from every meal you’re not there for.” I leaned my back onto the wall as he sighed. He should be exhausted….it was Sunday, he had did his most strenuous workouts on Sundays.</p><p>“Mornings are so quiet…no one argues, no one laughs….it’s just…silent; to be honest I can’t even eat half of what I used to….it isn’t right not having you with us. I know I keep saying this, and I’m sorry; but I wish I had tried harder to stop you, vines or no vines! I would rather you not talk to me because you’re mad at me instead of you going through that. I wish I had done a lot of things different….” It was silent and he began to rise to leave.</p><p>“Well…goodnight.”</p><p>“Lime juice.” I heard him gasp as he stopped walking and went back to the door.</p><p>“What was that?”</p><p>“Lime juice and Cheyenne pepper…it’s my mother’s recipe; you tell Satan that if he messes it up after that to never make my dishes again.” He laughed at that.</p><p>“Yeah, I’ll make sure he knows it, no one makes chicken masala like you do.”</p><p>“Beel…”</p><p>“Y-yeah…?”</p><p>“This is the reason you are my best friend.” I heard him sigh and chuckle. He never talked about that day or tried to get me out or forced me to respond to him like the others had, Beel cared about me and I didn’t deserve it, I was beginning to realize that more and more. I opened the door and he looked up at me surprised and I put a finger to my lips. He made the motion of zipping his and I sat beside him against the wall.</p><p>“Beel…can I ask you something, and promise you won’t get mad?”</p><p>“Sure, ask away.”</p><p>“How many demon lives would it take to sacrifice, to equal the amount of a humans?”</p><p>“I…I don’t think I like this question…”</p><p>“Please…try to answer it?”</p><p>“I don’t…I don’t know…”</p><p>“Then what about the other way? How many human lives would have to be sacrificed to be enough for a demons?” Poor Beel, he looked so uncomfortable, but I needed his innocence, if I could call it that.</p><p>“I don’t think I can put a number on that, I don’t think any life is worth more or less than the other.”</p><p>“You mean that?”</p><p>“What is this about?”</p><p>“At home I get ridiculed because I’m different; here I’m targeted because I’m just as different but in another way. I don’t fit in with humans or demons….i feel like I don’t have a place in this life at all.”</p><p>“Of course you do, you fit in with us. We wouldn’t make fun of you, honest….” He looked so worried as he grabbed my hand and began to inspect it.</p><p>“You look thin, you need to eat; here have my sandwich, you need it more.”</p><p>“Beel I don’t feel like-“</p><p>“Eat it.” he looked so stern…I couldn’t argue with him.</p><p>“I feel strange…and I don’t know how to describe it.”</p><p>“It might be the nightmare radish I put on it.”</p><p>“No, I mean I’ve been trained to know how to kill most of my life; but this was the first time I’ve ever done it.” His eyes got wide as he turned back and leaned his head against the wall.</p><p>"I get it, it's worse than we thought,  you aren't a bad person for defending yourself; you had to. "</p><p>"I don’t know..." did I have to? I keep replaying that day over and over again and I still feel so horrible about failing my mission....why do I even call it that?</p><p>"Thank you for being you Beel, you see things in such a different light."</p><p>"You're welcome, I’m happy you opened the door. No one has seen you in almost a month, we were worried that...you hated us."</p><p>"I do feel hatred, I feel this burning rage that won’t go away; but I don’t think it towards you guys. I just...I can't look you in the eye knowing how helpless i was. Knowing that i couldn't do it..."</p><p>"Sounds like your pride took a hard hit too; you know, you really don't want to end up like Lucifer." Whenever the word pride is brought up, his name always follows...like a synonym. </p><p>"What do you mean?"</p><p>"He works super hard in everything he does, he is really talented, juggling school, student council, work from Diavolo and all of us....but he's lonely."</p><p>"Lonely?"</p><p>"He is so worried about looking weak or incompetent, that he takes the entirety of every burden onto himself and will push others away when they want to help. He wants to be the one with all of the answers and comes down on himself the hardest when he doesn't have them. The only difference between you two is that you eventually opened the door. "I knew we were both hardheaded, when it came to arrogance, but I never suspected he held onto so much pain. He was better at it than me.</p><p>"He blames himself you know, for not seeing and addressing what was wrong with you. He feels that if he paid closer attention you would have never been hurt."</p><p>"He feels incompetent because of me.... because I was foolish, and ran away..."</p><p>"Hey don't think about it like that! It isn't fair you blame yourself when we made you leave."</p><p>"Beel, you didn't do anything the others were fighting not you. I just...I couldn't take the bickering over me like I was some prize. There isn’t anything special about me. I just wanted to keep you guys as you are...is that selfish? I care about you all the same, but not in a romantic way...I've hardly had friends let alone a boyfriend, I wouldn't know what to do. I would only ruin things."</p><p>"I understand, we were selfish; I'm sorry I put you in such an uncomfortable situation before." I rested my head on his shoulder and sighed.</p><p>"Let's go back to bed."</p><p>"Will you be down in the morning?" I looked away and he sighed.</p><p>"Okay, I won’t push...if you have another nightmare I'll be back okay?"</p><p>"Thank you, but after this, I may sleep okay." He smiled and I went back into my room and shut the door. It always felt nice to talk to Beel, sweet and simple Beel; but I just wasn't ready yet, I couldn't walk those halls with their eyes on me, or worse...</p><p>L</p><p>Another quiet breakfast, everyone focused on their food and no one else. Beel however seemed to have picked his appetite back up, which made me glad to see he was better, I couldn't say the same for the others however, Mammon's mood looked to be the most sour; but it served him right.  </p><p>"Dammit Satan, stop lookin' at me like that! You think ya so much better than me! Why dontcha come over here and say it!!" Mammon threw his fork down glaring at our younger brother.</p><p>"You have a lot of nerve, being angry when you are the one at fault. You're nothing but a greedy joke! You make me sick looking at you."</p><p>"Why don't you do us a favor and just stop talking, hell stop breathing for all I care."</p><p>"YOU SHUT YA DAMNED MOUTH LEVI, NOBODY WAS EVEN TALKIN' TO YA! Go back to ya damned figurines ya miserable lonely bastard! They be the only girls you'll get in your lifetime!!"</p><p>"Way to insult someone for their interests Mammon, I would tell you to go count your money but you never have any. I would be better telling you to count your IOUs." Belphie interjected.</p><p>"I'm sick and tired of y'all always gangin' up on me!!"</p><p>"I'm sick and tired of all of you acting like children!!!" They looked to me as the room fell silent. </p><p>"You four think there isn't enough going on that you have to argue too? Do you always have to make more trouble?! Do you relish in me cleaning your messes?!! Why don't you grow the hell up for once in your petty miserable existence instead of...." I couldn't finish it...I had already said too much. I was berating them for shouting and yet here I was doing the same. Had I set this example in them? Was this my own punishment for my neglect?    It was my job as the oldest to clean up their messes after all, so why did I complain? Why did I lash out at them in such a manner? How could I have displayed such weakness?</p><p>"Never mind...just go, get to class; none of you need to be late." They all got up silently and left me at the table. I felt so many different things, and none of them I could decipher. </p><p>  It had been nearly a month and she refused to come down, she gave her work to other students to submit and yet wouldn't speak to us! I felt as though I had failed her, them and this entire program. I took a plate of food to her room, standing there for the first time since I had shut it behind me. I thought of the many things I could have said, should have said, instead of what i had. Maybe I would have brought her out, maybe...</p><p>I knocked.</p><p>"Jetèa,  I have some breakfast for you. Class will begin soon and your attendance is required." I waited, with no answer and my frustration mounted.</p><p>"How much longer do you expect to stay in there?! What is it you want, do you wish to leave?! Do you want to go home, and leave us for good?! Do you want to scream at me again; curse me as you are so adept at it? Just tell me what you want....." because anything was better than your silence. I sighed and left the food on a tray, I was completely out of sorts today and it was only morning...I hated what she has done to me.</p><p>J</p><p>I sat in my room, going over the homework assignment for Eliza to drop off to the teacher for me when I heard the knock. I assumed it was Beel again but kept silent for his voice. The door unlocked and opened and I spun around alarmed. </p><p>"Lord Diavolo??? What are you doing here?"</p><p>"Do I need a reason, to see one of my exchange students? And in any case this is a very important matter to talk about." I backed away from him, I didn’t want to yell at him, but he wasn’t welcome either.</p><p>"So in last week’s meeting we discussed the results of your plan to improve the attendance at RAD. And there has been improvement!"</p><p>"You...went on with my idea?"</p><p>"Of course, it was innovative and very interesting! Students are making improvements with their grades and attending classes all because of the community service plan you implemented. You've done amazingly for this school; except there is one issue...your own attendance."</p><p>"I knew this was coming..." </p><p>"I know you've been through a lot and you're trying to cope, but I'm not going to baby you because that isn't what you need. You are a student council officer, you hold a responsibility to yourself and your fellow students to uphold the standard put in place by this academy. Your attendance is mandatory to do that, and if you cannot do something as simple as that then you are not only shirking your responsibilities, but you are telling me that you no longer wish to be here. Now I want you to make a choice right now; you fought hard to get here, and even harder to get where you are, do you wish to throw it to the wind or are you going to get up and move forward? Where is that bright young lady that impressed me before?"  Well I'll be damned, he knew me better than I knew myself. I was plagued by the memories Damien left me and the feelings of incompetence the incident provided, but I could not let him ruin my chance here at RAD, I worked too damn hard to let some lowlife rogue get in the way of my future and knowledge. I stood and pulled my uniform from my closet and tossed it to my bed.</p><p>"My behavior was unacceptable; it will not happen again sir." He smiled as he stood.</p><p>"Fantastic, I hope to see you in today’s meeting as well."</p><p>"Yes sir." He left and I snuck out to shower, it somehow felt better doing so in the daylight. I was still in a towel heading back to my room when I heard Lucifer at my door.</p><p>"Do you want to scream at me again, curse me as you are so adept at it? Just tell me what you want!" He looked...so upset. I remembered how Beel told me that he blames himself for what happened but would never admit it to anyone, would rather suffer in silence than show weakness of any kind. I stood hidden as he left my food and left. I locked myself away in my room so no one would see how weak I felt...but it seemed he had it so much worse...he locked himself away in his heart and I knew Beel’s words to be true. (The only difference between you two is that you eventually opened the door)</p><p>L</p><p>That cursed girl plagued my mind all day; I have felt so angry about this morning, her behavior and this whole situation that I couldn't focus on my own tasks. I began to wonder just where it would go from here. Diavolo may have to do something, she could be expelled for her truancy. She had been absent for eighteen days, she would have failed her classes if the other students didn’t deliver her work. But enough was enough. </p><p>"Lucifer, you have been distracted today are you alright?" Diavolo’s hand shook me out of my train of thought.</p><p>"I apologize Diavolo."</p><p>"Brothers again?"</p><p>"When is it not?"</p><p>"Well don't let it get you down, today will be a much better day, I can feel it."</p><p>"Truly, and how-" then I heard the whispers in the hall before I saw her, she was here! She walked through the hall with her head high as though it were a normal day. It was amazing to see her out of her room let alone back in school.  She walked by giving me a brief glance as she passed, her expression blank. Was she still cross with me? </p><p>"I take it you spoke to her."</p><p>"I had to lay it straight in the only language she was fluent in. She came here to uphold the schools standards and improve it; she couldn't do that locked in her room." </p><p>"Of course not...." why wasn't I able to make her come out? Why didn’t I think to say that?</p><p>"She is a little upset with me though but i did knock before entering."</p><p>"You unlocked her door."</p><p>"She wasn’t going to speak if I didn't, and we both know she would never yell at me  haha!" </p><p>"And how do you know she was decent? You could have violated her privacy!" </p><p>"She lives with seven men; I doubt she would walk around in a towel, that being said if she was going to change in the morning it would be in the bathroom after her shower. Either way I was in the clear."</p><p>"Of course you're right."</p><p>"You seem under the weather Lucifer are you alright?" No I wasn't, and I didn’t know why.</p><p>"I'm perfectly fine."</p><p>"Well alright then, I'll see you later; I will need your report by the end of the day."</p><p>"It's already on your desk." He gave my shoulder a strong pat.</p><p>"And that is why you are my right hand! I'll see you later." He seemed so chipper, but then he was never the type to be upset easily if at all. Meanwhile I felt a storm raging within myself that I couldn't explain and it drove me insane.</p><p>J</p><p>I traveled through the halls to my classes, trying to ignore the whispers of the other students. I was back and everyone knew it; the human girl who took out several demons even killing a few. Some of their words were hateful and others were filled with praise, I didn’t want to hear either to be honest. I walked into my science of witchcraft class and submitted my assignment.</p><p>“Why Jetèa, I’m so happy you’re back and alright.”</p><p>“Yes Lady Qetsiyah I am fine, thank you for your concern.” She tucked her pink hair behind her ear, her calm green eyes flashed to yellow only for a moment as I took my seat. She was the only Teacher at rad to be a witch and the only one I have ever seen to have mood changing eyes.</p><p>“Lady Qetsiyah, can I be excused for three weeks and not get in trouble too?” the class jeered but I ignored them and the teacher went on with her lesson. The student continued to glare at me, she had blonde hair and grey eyes and was quite pretty and it was obvious she was a demon. I did my best to ignore her regardless of her intentions.</p><p>“You think your hot shit because of what you did huh? You gonna go to your human buddies and gloat about killing those guys, about what happened to Damien? Destroy lives and take off for weeks like you’re a damned celebrity you make me fucking sick!”</p><p>“Diana that’s enough! Now listen to the lecture or you will be spending time in detention!” the teacher turned back around and she continued to glare at me. I kept thinking of that bastards face, how he touched me….</p><p>“Did you ever think that they had families? That maybe someone was wanting them to come home? Did you think of that before you murdered them?” I looked to her and she was surprisingly close to me.</p><p>“No. I didn’t, I was thinking of how to survive, of how to make it out. I was thinking that I didn’t want to be raped tortured and eaten, I’m sorry I wasn’t thinking of his parents.” She looked hurt and turned back in her seat and I hoped that would be all.</p><p>“I know he was horrible…I know he was a cruel son of a bitch but…I had hoped he could still be saved; that he would come back to school…come home.” I looked to her again…my heart pounding in my chest.</p><p>“Damien….was your family?”</p><p>“He was my older brother.” Eliza’s words came back like a flood and I began to feel sick.</p><p>“I don’t condone what he did to you, what he tried to do; he’s done it before…but I will never forgive you for what you’ve done!”</p><p>“I understand….you have the right; and I’m sorry it happened.”</p><p>“Yeah right, don’t patronize me.”</p><p>“I’m serious! I didn’t want anyone to die; I didn’t want to fear for my life! I didn’t want to be chased and hunted like some animal, and I didn’t want to hurt anyone either! I could have died that day…if the roles were reversed and you killed my brother I would hate you with my soul but if my brother tried to do the things Damien did to me, then I wouldn’t know what to feel. I don’t know what to feel now…” So many emotions swirled in me and I began to lose control again. All I kept thinking about was his face and that laugh and….</p><p>“Jetèa where are you going?!” I didn’t stop or give an explanation; I just got up and ran, all I saw were those moments that haunted me, the sounds the smells, everything about that day haunted me, including one more thing.</p><p>L</p><p>“Oi, so I hear she’s back in class eh? What did you threaten her wit to get her out her room?”</p><p>“I didn’t; Diavolo spoke to her.”</p><p>“Has she said anything then?”</p><p>“She hasn’t said a word to me in three weeks Mammon.”</p><p>“I mean you gotta know something-“ I glared at him and he quieted.</p><p>“Look…you been a lot meaner than usual…you alright?” I didn’t answer him…I wasn’t sure what was wrong except I couldn’t get her off of my mind. Even when she finally left her room she wouldn’t acknowledge me; I was beginning to feel like we were at odds like in the beginning of the school year but this time it was different… this time it was all my fault. This was because I didn’t have better control over my brothers, because I didn’t keep a closer eye on her; because I didn’t ask her what she was feeling the two weeks before it all happened when she looked down! I took her feigned strength for granted and in the end I failed her again. Even still if I had reached her sooner before that brute…</p><p>“Oi, Lucifer, ya listenin’? Look man, it ain’t ya fault alright? What happened was bad, but don’t go beatin yaself up over it; I think outa all of us you had the smallest part in it if at all.” How did he…?</p><p>“I am perfectly fine, I don’t know what you’re thinking but I am not feeling guilty at all, that girl is the furthest from my mind.”</p><p>“Yea whatever, it aint whatcha face said wen ya held her.” I stared at him stunned.</p><p>“The way you held her…when you carried her home…it was jus like-“</p><p>“Don’t. You. Dare mention her here.”</p><p>“Look I’m jus sayin’ you aint gotta be Mr. Big man all the time, geez excuse me for tryin to help my brother out!” he left in a huff and I sighed. It was my fault then just like it is now…</p><p>“Senpai!” I heard a commotion behind me, was it? It could have been anyone’s voice we were in school after all.</p><p>“Lucifer!!” It was her voice! I turned and she crashed right into me, he arm wrapping around me in a hug. The other students watched on curious and just as surprised as I was. She had her face buried in my chest and clung to me; after several awkward moments she began to tremble with sobs.</p><p>“You saved my life; you saved my life and I never thanked you! The nightmares, they are so bad but in the end you are always there!” I saw how the other students looked to us and whispered. I put my arms around her and hugged her back, trying to console her.</p><p>“It’s all my fault, I shouldn’t have run away, I shouldn’t have left and then no one would have to die. I was so angry that I couldn’t fight on my own that I didn’t think about their families. I’m just a horrible person!”</p><p>“No…No you aren’t you did what you had to.”</p><p>“I was so mean to you! You saved my life and I yelled at you! I let you think that I blamed you but I only hated myself! I am, I’m a horrible person Lucifer…can you ever forgive me?” I had never seen this before, she never cried like this before, not since our first chess game and certainly not in public but she seemed so earnest in the way she clung to me, holding my tight and her tears moved me.</p><p>“It was never your fault….if I had known you were locked away too you would never have hurt you the way I did.”</p><p>“’Tèa….you never hurt me, what are you…?” the way she looked up at me tugged at my heart! Her hazel eyes glimmered from the tears and her hair was a mess, she looked at me pitifully and I thought back to what she said and my promise. I pulled her closer and rested her head on my chest while the onlookers whispered and spun new tales.</p><p>“I want you to open the door Lucifer….”</p><p>“Jetèa…I never blamed you, there is nothing to forgive.” I didn’t understand what she was saying but I could feel the negative feelings melt from me and I felt myself ease. I really disliked what she could make me feel at times but when she alleviated me I had to say I usually forget what she made me feel in the first place. She was such a puzzle, but at least we could get back to normal.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Would Rather you Watch Me Drown</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jetea tries to dig deeper into Lucifer to get a better understanding of him, she feels that he just may be that one person she can relate to but Lucifer struggles himself to acknowledge the darkness he has hidden behind his wall of pride, why does she feel the need to chip at it? Why does he allow her to?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 19</p><p> </p><p>J</p><p>I woke up early and showered, a lot of emotions going through my head; my nightmares have lessened the more I have been able to talk about it but doing so has been so hard. I keep finding that the more I think about everything the conflict I have within myself. I had blocked away a lot of things in my life that I still refuse to acknowledge and that incident awakened a lot of ugly feelings within me.</p><p> I dressed for class, mentally preparing myself for any triggering responses from classmates as I walked down the stairs and into the dining hall. They….all stopped and stared at me in surprise. I suppose I deserved it, I hadn’t gone down to breakfast in almost two months…I couldn’t, I had no appetite with all of this on my mind. I saw them all at class and in our student council meetings but this moment seemed foreign to us now; it was like we had forgotten we were housemates. In a flash Beel engulfed me in a bear hug and spun me.</p><p>“Haha, ‘Tèa! I’m so happy you came!” he held me up, my feet swinging in the air.</p><p>“Oi ‘Tèa, come an sit next to the great Mammon!”</p><p>“No, I must have my rose next to me!”</p><p>“No, she has to sit next to me and Beel!</p><p>“No.” they stopped and all looked to Lucifer as Beel set me down.</p><p>“She will take my seat, I am finished anyway.” He stood and looked at me; he was so odd around me for the past week…it was like something shifted between us and neither of us knew in which direction. I walked to him as he pulled his seat out for me and I sat down.</p><p>“Thank you Lucifer.” He wouldn’t look at me! He seemed so off; it was like he wanted to be kind but he wanted nothing to do with me at the same time. Could it have been our conversation last week?</p><p>“Of course, see you at school.” He walked away without another word.</p><p>“A’ight then, so ‘Tèa when’s the next study session, I got a test in tartarus wildlife and I can’t bomb dis.”</p><p>“And we must go shopping again, I feel I’ve been so stressed as of late, a good mani pedi will do us both good yes?”</p><p>“Guys don’t overwhelm her; one at a time.”</p><p>“Thank you Satan; but yes, we have a lot to catch up on. I’m sorry for all of this guys; I allowed you to suffer unnecessarily, I was the one who was foolish. I don’t blame any of you for anything….you’re all my best friends and I want it to stay that way.” They were quiet then…they must have blamed themselves all this time. Another thing I will regret.</p><p>“Come on guys, no more long faces. I could just eat in my room….”</p><p>“No!” they all shouted together. I got up and hugged each one of them around their shoulders and gave a peck on their cheek.</p><p>“Let’s stop being sad, come on we will be late.” They stood and we walked as a group; I couldn’t lie, walking onto campus with the six of them made me feel pretty powerful, especially when the students I knew didn’t like me walked away in fear. But I would never abuse my friends in such a way, I was happy we were all back together….well all except for…Lucifer.</p><p>L</p><p>“Alright so these are the final numbers?”</p><p>“Yes sir, it’s all in black and white.”</p><p>“Well this is amazing, the school has done amazing with its academics and attendance, the budget is no longer in the red and I have never seen a higher overall GPA! It’s damn near all perfect!” Diavolo looked at the reports over and over, a look of awe on his face.</p><p>“This school had been Excelling steadily since Jetèa joined the council! I knew it was a good choice to allow her on.”</p><p>“Of course if the other six members had pulled their weight from the beginning we would have had these numbers years ago.”</p><p>“That being said, the two of you together have made what was once a top into THE top school and we are only halfway through the year. Haha, I couldn’t be more proud of you two!”</p><p>“Thank you Lord Diavolo.”</p><p>“Now why the long face; this is excellent news and you look so crestfallen!”</p><p><em>“Have you ever had the power to make those that hurt you stop; to remove the target off of your back forever and be in your own peace but because of your circumstances you are forced to leave it there? Walking around like some dog on a leash, wanting to bite that hand that tugs you so and run free but because of what you’ve done you are forced to sit and beg, thankful for the scraps thrown at your master’s feet?” </em>I have been battered by those words for days now…I had thought they were long forgotten but I couldn’t shake them or the feelings they stirred. Not since that evening a week ago.</p><p> </p><p>“Jetèa, it is late what are you doing out here?!” I found her in her greenhouse speaking to her plants under the ultraviolet lights.</p><p>“I had to see them…I see you’ve been caring for them, thank you.”</p><p>“Of course…I knew it was what you would’ve wanted and I knew how to do it.”</p><p>“You even fed Oji, I’m impressed, I knew you didn’t care for her much.” She turned to me with sparkling eyes; her garnet hair fell to the small of her back in loose waves as she bounded over with a smile.</p><p>“Don’t think of it as doing you a favor, it was a task that needed done, simple as that.”</p><p>“But that is exactly what it was; you didn’t have to do it. You always do that, taking on someone’s work, putting more onto yourself when you know you shouldn’t.” She had spoken similar words, but these contained no sarcasm or spite; she was actually concerned…and that angered me more than her ridicule.</p><p>“But you have to have control; because if you don’t have control, then what do you have….you have to be the best because if you aren’t the best you’re noth-“</p><p>“That is quite enough!” She stepped back with her hands raised and eyes wide.</p><p>“I’m so sorry…dammit…I’m so very sorry I wasn’t really speaking about you i..” her hands fell to her side and she turned her head. Little did know that’s exactly what she was doing.</p><p>“You know….you know what it feels like…don’t you? To utterly despise the look of pity in another’s eyes; to rather die than admit something is too much. You know what it’s like to look in the mirror every day and wonder how many things right will you have to achieve in this world in order to cover up all the things wrong in your heart?” She turned away and paced a little; she wasn’t just opening she was unloading onto me and I wasn’t sure what to do.</p><p>“Of course even saying you understand is admitting defeat too… that’s why this is hard! I was so angry at you at first, because I was supposed to take care of myself, I was supposed to know what to do, I took over thirteen years of training for this and I couldn’t subdue him! You had to save me and I hated it!!”</p><p>“…’Tèa….”</p><p>“They were supposed to go away….i tried to intimidate them and they were supposed to leave. I should have handled it then but I had never killed anyone before…but they have and I wasn’t prepared for that.”</p><p>“In that case you gave them fair warning to leave; they didn’t heed the warning so your actions are justified.”</p><p>“And what about my other actions, I was deplorable to my baby sister! I made her run away, she was kidnaped and tortured for over a month before she got out! I was just as bad to my brother, I alienated him….i push away everyone who might like me because I would rather be hated than have pity! Everyone berated themselves over me for weeks and I let them do it…I let you hate yourself because I didn’t want you to know how weak I felt! I did that and I was supposed to be your friend…after all you’ve done for me.” She turned and looked back to me near tears and quickly fanned her bereft face.</p><p>“Dammit….i wasn’t supposed to put all of that on you. Please say something, anything….anything is better than silence.” It was in that moment that I grabbed her arm and pulled her close to me. I hadn’t realized I had done it until I was holding her. She was searching again…for that kindred spirit that knew her pain like a match to a glove. But do I set my own pride aside as she had and admit to the burden I carry? Do I comfort her by confronting myself? Or do I push her reaching hand away again?</p><p>“Mr. Pride….this isn’t like you…”</p><p>“No, it isn’t is it?” what was it about this girl that did this to me?</p><p>“Your heart…it’s racing…You do understand.”</p><p>“I don’t…why would you think that?”</p><p>“I have only ever hugged you three times, the first is when we became friends, the second was two weeks ago; both times your heart would peak but steadily fall. But this time…..” she put her hand over my chest and raised her head to meet my eyes; there was a more somber look in her eyes with and oddly paired satisfied smirk upon her lips.</p><p>“It only gets faster the more I speak on the subject. If you didn’t understand, if you couldn’t relate to what I was feeling then you wouldn’t be this anxious.” I shoved her away, and she nearly hit the table behind her.</p><p>“How dare you…throw around such words, did you forget who I am?!”</p><p>“Lucifer, avatar of pride; second most powerful demon in all of Devildom and eldest brother who is responsible for all others’ doings. Relied on by most respected by all and yet supported by no one.”</p><p>“I don’t need support from anyone!”</p><p>“You would refuse it if you did; you would refuse a helping hand even if you were drowning.”</p><p>“What do you want from me?! Do you want me to unload some emotional fodder onto you? Are you looking for validation in your emotional breakdown?! Do you want me to break down along with you and yell about how unfair life is?! For your information, life isn’t and will never be fair, you simply pick up where you left off and you keep moving forward! There is nothing that can be done about the past; there is no point in letting it get in the way of the now!”</p><p>“We are alone…you do not have to be so defensive…”</p><p>“I am not defensive; I am simply bored of this conversation.” I turned to leave fully frustrated at the situation she put me in.</p><p>“I’m sorry to bother you with my nonsense…I just thought I had found a kindred spirit…” I stopped in my tracks. I had my kindred spirit and I couldn’t grant her the same relief even now, my pride wouldn’t allow it.</p><p>“There is nothing to be sorry for.” And then I left her alone again. I left her alone when I should have connected with her like she tried to do with me. But I couldn’t for the very reasons she specified.</p><p> </p><p>“Ah Jetèa, you’ve got the rest of it I gather?” I turned to see her enter Diavolo’s office and hand him her report. She wasn’t in the least bit fazed by our conversation; or rather she didn’t seem to be.</p><p>“Yes sir, now what we have the attendance rate down to two percent, we need to put emphasis on the delinquent activities at school; it isn’t entirely high but I would feel better if all of school issues could be lowered to five percent or under.”</p><p>“And I trust you have a proposal for this already.” She balked and looked so ashamed.</p><p>“There is s a wide range of offense types to put into account, I still need more time to put it together sir, I apologize Lord Diavolo.”</p><p>“No, please I was only teasing! We can most certainly come up with an action plan. Lucifer, are you free after the meeting today?”</p><p>“Yes I am; what will you need of me?”</p><p>“You can help Jetèa put this action plan together.” We looked at each other and turned back to him simultaneously.</p><p>“Of course.”</p><p>“Consider it already done.”</p><p>“Excellent then we will discuss it next meeting; exceptional work you two, I know we will have outstanding results again.” We left his office together silently and walked long the halls in the same manner. How was she not angry with me, how could she have opened up so much to receive nothing and be so unfazed?</p><p>“Lucifer, are you alright?”</p><p>“I’m fine, why do you ask?”</p><p>“You have been acting….well… oddly lately. I feel I have offended you more than I suspected during our last conversation.” Offended wasn’t the word I would have used. She reached her hand and touched my arm with a kind smile; something was off about her as well…</p><p>“I’m fine, however you are acting oddly it seems.” She pulled her hand away and flushed a little.</p><p>“I’m sorry; I guess I have changed over the past few weeks.”</p><p>“Are you still having nightmares?”</p><p>“They have lessened, but they are tolerable. But despite that, I don’t want that whole incident to tarnish our friendship; I want to finally put it behind me and move forward. Like you said there is nothing that can be done about the past right?” I felt such a sting of guilt, I turned from her ready to leave her alone yet again but I willed myself to stand firm and speak what was on my mind.</p><p>“No, you cannot do anything about the past; in fact at times it is the inability to alter it that can prove to be the most damning. One would wish to go back and to change a decision that caused such a horrific event and yet the moment has been and gone, slipped through ones fingers like grains of sand. And so though you desperately grasp for more grains to hold onto, the ones that slip…they are the ones who obtain the most focus and in your attempt to stop it you only lose more…Forgive me, I’m rambling like a fool.” She reached for my arm again, this time holding it tight.</p><p>“No! I understand completely… like one would feel they are sinking and though you try desperately to swim to the surface, ignoring the burning in your lungs and the weakness in your limbs you feel you are getting nowhere. I you just keep swimming then maybe…you will reach the surface and you can finally breathe.”</p><p>“But you never get there.” We looked to each other; her eyes were stoic…and her face blank.</p><p>“Your secret is safe with me…you won’t have to worry about it getting out.”</p><p>“About what per se?”</p><p>“You’re drowning.” The very words repulsed me and she held my arm tighter as I moved to leave.</p><p>“It’s okay…I would never tell a soul, just as I have always trusted you keep my own bouts of weakness between us. How else would you know how to manage panic attacks the way you do? Shh, I wasn’t implying you have them. But please…don’t let this whole thing ruin our friendship, it means a lot to me.” her eyes made me relent.</p><p>“I shall do my best. The bell is soon to ring, I must be off.”</p><p>“Of course, mustn’t be tardy; we will meet later for the action plan.”</p><p>“Certainly.” I walked on feeling as though I had been through a wringer. I finally admitted it, I had admitted to the weight of my responsibility as she had wanted….as she had needed. The problem with it was that now that I had admitted to it, now that I had given acknowledgement to what I had hidden behind my wall it was threatening to break through. Why does she stir such feelings within me?! How was she able to uncover what I have spent so many years hiding, and so flawlessly? I felt as though I were drowning, my lungs burned for air and my arms ached to rest and yet I would never see the surface; I couldn’t even see the light to distinguish it. But if I were to give in, I would sink and die, so there was no choice but to move forward, to continue on and fight. I had no choice…just as I had to walk on my lead like a trained mongrel….just as I have to accept the scraps of praise Diavolo feeds me. She knew it all; no…she understood it all. And yet, even though it was unbearable to acknowledge, I felt a new wave of emotion that wasn’t quite relief. I still have to swim, I still have to move forward, but somehow…I could swear I saw a glimmer of light in the far distance. That light gave me more strength, more motivation to keep going and that was a good feeling.</p><p>J</p><p>I watched him walk on and I felt relieved that we could go on better than before. It would be better because I had someone who I knew I could relate to. I knew we were always compared to each other but no one knew of the insecurities we faced or even less so our fears. I could feel them as soon as I had asked him about it a week ago, it was like a wavelength or a vibe I felt coming off of him, I felt so much darkness in him…so much pain that he carries daily and never shows a soul. I wasn’t sure how I could feel it…maybe because of the rare moment we felt the same as one another? But knowing what I do now I would take much greater care to mind his feelings. I had once been horrible to him and though I regret it, it is just another grain of sand in the hourglass of our lifetime, we can try to control all we can but many will always slip, making us regret, been and gone but never forgotten.</p><p>  I knew things would be much better between us; I had told him my nightmares were bearable, but I didn’t tell him that it was because at the end of each nightmare those Ebony wings come into my view and I know I’m safe. I didn’t tell him that I wasn’t offended because I knew from the look in his eye one week ago that he did feel the pain I did, I knew that though he didn’t admit it at the time, but he hadn’t denied it either and I knew that was just as painful. I couldn’t help but feel I was being selfish of me to try to pull it out of him; but I needed to know that I wasn’t alone, that I wasn’t insane. And now that I had him, my kindred spirit, I felt freer. Even though I couldn’t hold all the sand I felt as though there were another pair under my own, not exactly holding my sand but keeping me from focusing on the grains I have lost, taking them away. It gave me …dare I call it hope? Hope that even if I couldn’t control each grain, each action in my hourglass of life that I could at least learn to not go back and dig for the lost ones. That I could move forward as long as I had my best friends….as long as I had that darkened angel come for me when I was at my worst, then I could face anything.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. The Good the Bad and the Lake Day</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The brothers want to take Jetea out to have some fun after everything has finally settled down, Satan hears news that makes him upset with her and the six younger brothers go to her families home to have a good time, but little to they know there is a lot more she was trying to hide than her linage.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 20</p><p>J</p><p>I was roused out of bed earlier than usual by screaming and a loud thud; I jerked upward and ran into the hallway ready to fight only to see Mammon on the floor with bags in his hands.</p><p>“What…in the world are you doing?!” he was laying on his back looking up at me with a confused look on his face.</p><p>“Hey ‘Tèa-chan, we wanted to surprise you; but this bid idiot had to ruin everything as always.” Levi kicked him in the side making him yelp.</p><p>“Hey it wasn’t my fault okay? You always gotta gang up on me when I ain’t did nothin’!” Asmo stepped into the hallway with his own bag in tow.</p><p>“Oh dear, Mammon has ruined yet another surprise; oh but what else is new?”</p><p>“Mammon ruined the surprise? Ugh…figures..” Belphie stepped over him as he tossed his own bag onto him.</p><p>“Boys, now that is enough!” they stepped back as I pulled Mammon to his feet.</p><p>“Now what have I said?”</p><p>“Stop bullying.” They said in unison.</p><p>“Haha, yeah so ya betta stop gangin’ up on me or Tèa gonna make ya regret it!” He hugged me close from behind and grinned ear to ear.</p><p>“And you stop aggravating your brothers, you know better than that Mammon.” I tugged his ear and he yelped again.</p><p>“Oww, geez are ya my mom now?!”</p><p>“Maybe you all need a mother figure; you all would be a lot less rowdy at four in the morning.” They looked at each other with a mischievous look on their faces.</p><p>“What is going on?”</p><p>“We have been doing nothing but studying and student council and stress! We need a day to relax and have fun! So…we got passage from Diavolo to go to the human world for a lake day! I’m going to get all sorts of sun and I even have the cutest outfit to sunbathe on the lake in!” Asmo sang as he did a twirl.</p><p>“I made a big lunch for all of us.” Beel stepped out with a shy smile and Satan struggled with what looked to be large flotation devices.</p><p>“Ugh, whose idea was it to blow these up before we got there?!” He looked to all of us in the hallway and grunted.</p><p>“So who spoiled the surprise?!”</p><p>“Mammon of course!”</p><p>“Hey, I tripped okay?!”</p><p>“Guys please, a day on the lake sounds fun, we have a lake on our property back home we used to go to.”</p><p>“Well then why don’t we go there? We can meet your glorious parents you tell us about.”</p><p>“No! I mean…no, I wouldn’t want to bother them.”</p><p>“Well what’s the harm rose we already know your half-human there is nothing to be afraid of!”</p><p>“Half human, what are you talking about?” My blood froze as I looked to Satan, he looked confused and a little irritated too.</p><p>“You…I…oh dear, me and my big mouth.”</p><p>“Yeah, now who’s ruinin’ surprises Asmo?”</p><p>“So wait, Jet      èa you’re only half-human? What is the other half?”</p><p>“Well if you want to get technical my parents are half-demon, so I’m really just-“</p><p>“A liar.”</p><p>“Satan!”</p><p>“No, I get it…I should have told you before. It never came up, before and I honestly thought it wouldn’t matter.” Satan huffed and switched the flotation devices for bags.</p><p>“You know what sure let’s go to your house, I want to meet your parents now.”</p><p>“Sat-“ He shoved past me and I felt such a horrible pang in my stomach.</p><p>“Oh don’t let him get to you Rose, I think he’s mad that he’s last to know.”</p><p>“N…no he isn’t…”</p><p>“Oh that’s right, Lucifer doesn’t know, well I wouldn’t tell him either who knows how he would react.”</p><p>“Wait…he isn’t coming?”</p><p>“Oh honestly he wouldn’t go unless Diavolo told him to, and even if he did he would just be a fuddy duddy about it.” they made all of these preparations and didn’t even tell their older brother? I felt bad for not wanting him to go, but I would want that to be his choice.</p><p>“I am going to see if he wants to go.”</p><p>“But aren’t we going to your parents? Do you want them to meet him, did something spark during your study session?”</p><p>“Asmo don’t be silly, I just don’t think it is fair for us all to go and he know nothing about it, if he doesn’t go it has to be his choice not because we didn’t include him.”</p><p>“You really seem to care about him.” He looked at me with calm and compassionate eyes.</p><p>“I care about all of you.” I went to Lucifer’s room and knocked with no answer. I couldn’t just leave without trying so I opened the door and crept into the dark room. I could tell that he was in bed still and against my instincts that said to leave him be I had to go over and wake him.</p><p>  I stood by his bed and watched him for a moment…so this is what the posh and proud Senpai looks like when he is sleeping. He looked… quite charming with his usual hard expression softened and his breathing steady. I had once compared him to a beautiful poisonous sea slug but here he looked more like a black panther, powerful, beautiful and dangerous and yet ready for a light scratch on the head. I knelt by his bed and looked at his peaceful face as I whispered to him.</p><p>“Senpai…ha ha, do you think your brothers would be jealous to know I’ve caught the mighty first born asleep? Do you think they would jump at the chance to see you vulnerable? Do they realize how beautiful you look when you are this relaxed?” Oh….no…why did I say that?! He continued to sleep and I sighed in relief. I had to think of a way to wake him without making him mad.</p><p>“Don’t go….don’t go… out there….no…” He talks in his sleep? He seemed distressed suddenly; he must be having a nightmare.</p><p>“Please….I’ll do anything…she can’t die…” He definitely was having a nightmare, I didn’t care about upsetting him now, I had to wake him. I began to shake him gently, putting my hands on his shoulders and into his face.</p><p>“Lucifer…hey wake up you’re having a nightmare, Lucifer come on!” I was met with a firm hand around my throat and the sound of his panting. I froze wide eyed as he began to register what was going on and fully focused on me.</p><p>“What do you think you’re doing in here?” his voice was husky and low and his eyes were bleary. I slowly reached up and gently touched his face with one hand and his hand with the other. He realized what he was doing and quickly released me putting his hand to his head.</p><p>“I’m sorry to invade on your privacy, but your brothers-“</p><p>“What have they done this time?” He groggily sighed, and a slight chuckle slipped from my lips.</p><p>“Nothing, they wanted to surprise me with a lake day and I wanted to include you.” He groaned and flopped back down, I hadn’t realized I was still touching his face until then.</p><p>“So they are all going to be gone for several hours today?”</p><p>“We may be gone the full day actually.”</p><p>“Good…I’ll enjoy the silence; where will you be going?”</p><p>“We will be going to my home, they are curious about my parents.” He rose his head back up with furrowed brows.</p><p>“Your family, are you sure that’s wise?”</p><p>“Not in the slightest no; but I haven’t contacted my family since I came here and I know they are…supportive of my work here. So killing the proverbial birds with one stone seems logical.” He chuckled as he looked at me with one lazy eye.</p><p>“Keep a close eye on them, you know how they can be….maybe I should go after all.” I reached down and ran my fingers into his hair.</p><p>“No, you rest; you deserve a day of peace…or at least a day of quiet.”</p><p>“Jetèa, what are you doing?” I froze and we looked at each other in awkward silence.</p><p>“I…I don’t know. This isn’t like me at all; you just looked so…handsome. You have such a different vibe when you are relaxed and vulnerable like this.”</p><p>“You think I’m vulnerable?”</p><p>“You lay back down and you allow me to speak to you this way. You must trust me; I know you wouldn’t let your brothers see you this way.”</p><p>“You and I both know you couldn’t do anything to me, I simply don’t feel threatened by you.”</p><p>“Why Luci, isn’t that what I just said?” He blushed a little at that and my heart began to race; what was going on with me?!</p><p>“What did you call me?”</p><p>“I’m…so sorry; I suppose I have gotten a little too familiar as of late. I suppose I have been overindulged to have someone who understands me so.” He rose again on his elbow, his pajama shirt opening slightly revealing a very athletic chest.</p><p>“I have to say that I have been overindulged as well, my little kindred spirit. Perhaps that is why I allow you to see me this way.” He reached his hand toward me and quickly pulled it back and cleared his throat. I rose from his bed and motioned to the door.</p><p>“I should be getting dressed, they will be waiting.”</p><p>“Of course….what time is it?”</p><p>“About four thirty, you should go back to sleep.”</p><p>“No, no I should get up I have a lot of work to do.”</p><p>“Lucifer, listen to me as a fellow perfectionist; it is ok to be selfish sometimes…it’s ok to take care of yourself first” I left at that and I didn’t want to know his response. I had no idea what his nightmare was about but I think overworking himself was the very last thing he needed.</p><p>L</p><p>I had the dream again, the same dream that haunted me for so many, many years. she was right there, I could have stopped her but she ran ahead of me and I couldn’t get to her in time…and I held her in my arms…and there was nothing I could do. It would always go that way until recently when that cursed girl would come into view in my arms instead. And then to find her at my side when I wake as well! I began to feel as though she would terrorize me more than my usual dreams…like she was pulling me into a slow decent into madness. Yet when she spoke to me I felt relief and the way she touched me felt foreign and yet I welcomed it. Was it because I was in such a vulnerable mind frame that I allowed it in the first place? Why did I feel so relaxed to have her by my side in such a manner?</p><p>   Maybe the more pressing question should be if I should be worried about Jetèa while she is with my brothers. They can be raucous and her family may get the wrong impression of us; of course Jetèa is far from a pushover, she is more than capable of keeping them in line. Hmp…maybe this was my moment to be selfish….is she right? Can I be selfish just once and let her handle it? Can I allow one day to go by without having to control it? Well little kindred Spirit…we shall see…we shall see indeed.</p><p>J</p><p>“Alright let’s get goin’! I wanna be there today ya know!’ we walked through the thick forest that surrounded our property, I told them that it would be a long walk but I’m guessing they weren’t prepared for a six mile walk.</p><p>“Yes Mammon we know! Just don’t drop the food!” Levi grumbled struggling with his bag; he wasn’t the most athletic of the bunch and was beginning to wheeze.</p><p>“I’m starving….i think I’m going to pass out.”</p><p>“Beel did you pack your emergency snack like I said?”</p><p>“I packed six and ate them all already…” I handed him my energy bar.</p><p>“Ohh you have my favorite flavor too!” he munched happily.</p><p>“So when are we supposed to get there already, I didn’t come all the way out here to walk forever, you probably lied about even living out here in the middle of nowhere!”</p><p>“Satan mind your temper; honestly you can make a rainbow look like a rain cloud, Rose don’t mind him.’</p><p>“I’m exhausted, can someone carry me?”</p><p>“Hell no Belphie, you walkin’ like the rest of us! How much longer any-“ a kunai whooshed just above his head making him yelp in fear. We all stopped in our tracks as he ran ahead.</p><p>“Get down now! Place your bags down and put your hands in the air!” I yelled over my shoulder as I took out my rose, they complied but poor Mammon was too far ahead to hear me and they had him in their sights. Two figures in hooded ninja garb headed him off on both sides, one unsheathed a sword and pointed it right at Mammon’s throat.</p><p>“State your purpose for coming here.”</p><p>“Trespassing is an intolerable offense and is punishable by death.”</p><p>“A demon such as yourself has no purpose on our property.”</p><p>“Hey hey; you guys got it all wrong! We was invited here really, we’re havin’ a lake day!”</p><p>“That is improbable, there has been no notification of visitors; and you are not familiar to the family.”</p><p>“Laika, Kiomè stop don’t hurt him!” I shouted as I ran toward them.</p><p>“Tèa….what are you doing here?!” My younger brother removed his hood. He let his reddish brown hair get a little shaggier since I saw him last, it was nearly to his shoulders.</p><p>“I thought you went to that fancy school for a year, what did the know it all correct all the teachers and get kicked out?” My sister pulled back her own hood letting her long silver tresses flow in the low wind.</p><p>“Wow they really know you huh, I’m guessin’ they are your family. Hey, watch that it looks sharp!”</p><p>“That is the point.” My brother would be the one I would have to convince in this situation, being the only son he took protecting the family seriously.</p><p>“Kiomè lower your weapon! This is Mammon…he goes to my school; in fact he is one of the seven leaders of Devildom.”</p><p>“Really, he doesn’t look very powerful at all.”</p><p>“Kiomè do as I say! If you hurt him so help me I’m kicking your ass from here to the house!!” they both gasped.</p><p>“You never swear….has this demon…corrupted you?”</p><p>“’Tèa can’t make friends, it’s obvious this demon wants our family’s secrets and is using her.”</p><p>“Laika, not that my personal life is your business, but he is my real friend!” My little sister was not convinced as her fox ears twitched with mischief and a smirk crossed her face as she circled him.</p><p>“Kio, why don’t we interrogate him; I know a few of my plants that are dying for a treat.”</p><p>“Hey this was not part of the lake day experience I was promised!” Kiomè leaned into Mammon’s face his hazel eyes piercing, his sword still at his throat.</p><p>“What are your intentions with my sister?” They stared at each other for a moment and Kiomè quickly sheathed his sword and turned away.</p><p>“He’s fine Laika, and tell the others they can come out as well.”</p><p>“Oh goodie I love when we have guests over!” Laika clapped her hands and skipped to the location of the rest of our group.</p><p>“You could have simply taken my word Kio!” My brother turned back to me with a stern glare.</p><p>“Words mean nothing when there are no actions to sustain them; you taught me that sister.” Flashes of our childhood put a pang in my heart.</p><p>“Kio…I…” He walked past me and helped Mammon to his feet.</p><p>“My apologies for my crass behavior; we were not informed that there would be visitors and our families protection is top priority.”</p><p>“Yea…I get that.” Mammon chuckled nervously, they were the same height! When did my younger brother become so tall? Had I missed it entirely as I was lost in my own world of control and studies?”</p><p>“Look at all the cute boys Tèa’s brought! Now you all have to tell me your names and favorite foods!” Her tail swished in delight as she surveyed the others. I swear she could go from Jekyll to Hyde in any given situation because of that boy…but I planted the seeds to her insecurities in the first place.</p><p>“Guys these are my younger siblings, Kiomè and Laika; and this is Beelzebub, Belphagor, Satan, Leviathan, Asmodeus and you’ve met Mammon.”</p><p>“Leviathan….is this the guy you’ve been getting the Ruri-chan merchandise for?”</p><p>“Wow, you didn’t tell me your sister was a Kitsune! She looks just like a silver haired Yuki from Momokoland!”</p><p>“Pfft, please, I’m much hotter.” She struck a pose making Levi clap with joy.</p><p>“You even know her signature pose!”</p><p>“This is all well and good, but I would like to get somewhere and rest.” Satan’s mood seemed to have been getting worse by the minute.</p><p>“Yes please come to our home, I’m sure Mama and Daddy would love to meet you guys.”</p><p>“Indeed, our parents will be very surprised to see you Tèa.” We began to walk to the house with my siblings taking the lead.</p><p>“You never told your family we were coming?”</p><p>“I wanted it to be a surprise.”</p><p>“For them or us? I almost got my head taken off back there!”</p><p>“My brother wouldn’t hurt anyone unless they had ill intentions; he takes family seriously. And Laika….she just likes to get a rise out of people.”</p><p>“And another thing; how he know we were good? I didn’t answer him.” Uh-oh</p><p>“Well you know how I can do really neat things with plants? I get that from our father. Kio has psychic powers he got from our mother; our mother has this thing where if she asks you a question your mind will instantly think of that subject even if you try you can never fool your own subconscious. She is a lie detector, and Kio has that ability too, he’s amazing, and Laika’s even stronger.”</p><p>“Wait… you mean to tell us that we are about to go into a house with a bunch of mind readers? Why if I had known this I would have prepared!” Asmo gasped.</p><p>“There is no need for alarm, welcomed quests are treated with the same respect as family; meaning your privacy will be respected. But rest assured the moment I feel you are dishonest in a manner that threatens us I will know everything.”</p><p>“Aw guys don’t mind Kio; he’s not feeling well today.”  Laika giggled nervously. No, we both knew better than that.</p><p>“So Laika I just have to thank you for your help in my collection, I never would have been able to get the limited edition Ruri-chan body pillow without your help!”</p><p>“You’re welcome, it’s nice to meet a fellow Ruri-stan, I cannot wait to show you my own collection.”</p><p>“OMG LOL I am not worthy!” They laughed and Kio met her with another hard glare quieting her.</p><p>“Rose is it me or does your brother seem to be a bit on the uptight side. I thought you were the stern one of the bunch.”</p><p>“I am; that just shows how much RAD has changed me.” But it was something else; normally I would be the one to step up and take charge, I was the one who made strategy and saw it through. When they showed up I didn’t want to take that role of the always in charge older sister, and Kiomè saw that weakness. I feel like he resents me even more now. Laika would never show me any emotion besides mischievous or indifferent ever again and when she saw I wasn’t going to put them in their place and she ignored me completely; they saw that I didn’t want to be the same as I was…and they hated it.</p><p>“Looking at the dynamic I can see why you were that way when you arrived, I can only imagine how tough your parents must be in order to bring up a bunch of children who are so neurotic and anal-retentive.” That was the most damning part about me; our parents are kind and patient. They were stern when it came to our training and our education but for the most part they allowed us to fly free. My siblings however grew up to be on edge and angry. My sister would go through bouts of depression and my brother had even worse anxiety than I did. It made them focused and efficient fighters, it made them excellent students and it made them doubt and question everything good life had to offer. Our parents oversaw what they could but the truth was that all the love and support they had to give would never change the fact that I made my siblings the way they are.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Family Secrets and Fun in the Sun</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The brothers finally get to meet Jetea's family and they are not what they expected. Jetea has a decision to make to fix her past mistakes with her siblings or continue to their their distaste fester.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 21</p><p>J</p><p>“Well guys this is our home.” I motioned to the large three story house ahead of us.</p><p>“It’s almost as big as the house of Lamentation…only it also looks more cheery.”</p><p>“Hey I didn’t know you had a dog! He’s adorable, come here boy!” Belphie whistled as Zoie stepped onto the porch through the door in this form he was a large black dog resembling that of a wolf. I stepped forward to greet him.</p><p>“Guys this is Zoie, he is my mother’s best friend; he’s been around since she was born guarding her we just call him uncle. Ojisan is Mother home, we have guest from RAD I would like for her to meet.” He changed into his natural form making the others take a step back. He stood near six feet with tanned skin and golden brown eyes, his shaggy dark hair nearly covered his eyes as he surveyed the group and his ears twitched with anticipation. He crossed his arms in disapproval his dark green yukata crumpling.</p><p>“You haven’t called or written in several months and you show up here unannounced with a bunch of demons? You know better than this, your mother will not be pleased.”</p><p>“You know as well as I do that if I did she would have thrown some sort of party or something, I want today to be peaceful Zoie.” He smirked and shook his head.</p><p>“With your mother, not likely and Korrin is here as well.” Kiomè, Laika and I sighed simultaneously.</p><p>“Korrin…you don’t mean?!” My grandmother burst through the front door and pulled me right into her arms in a flash.</p><p>“Oh my beloved mago! Jiji has missed you do much!” Asmo squealed in delight upon see her making my grandmother release me. Her ebony hair swayed as she leaned her head to look at him.</p><p>“As I live and breathe, I am standing just a few feet away from the enchantress herself!”</p><p>“Enchantress?” Asmo bopped Mammon on the head with a pool noodle.</p><p>“It is The Enchantress you uncultured Cretan! She is only one of the most respected and feared demon of the Youkai region! Why I believe her charming powers surpasses my own and she is the beauty that inspired the look of the geisha! Look at this flawless ivory skin this silky ebony hair and these luscious red lips. She is the vision of beauty in japan; and what, my love is your beauty regimen?”</p><p>“Why…I do not have one.” Asmo knelt and kissed her hand.</p><p>“I am unworthy!”</p><p>“You have no need to feel unworthy, however when it comes to the male mind I can always find I make myself at home.” She lifted Asmo’s chin and looked into his eyes.</p><p>“Jiji please, you cannot make Asmo your minion!”</p><p>“Asmo…Asmodeous? Why you are one of the rulers where Jetèa goes to school yes?”</p><p>“Yes I am!”</p><p>“I have heard of you indeed, come we shall have tea and chat.” They linked arms and went inside and the rest of us looked to each other.</p><p>“Well come on, your mother is probably busy inside.” Zoie waved us in and we filed into the foyer one at a time.</p><p>“Zoie why does my mother have some strange demon on her arm and why didn’t anyone tell me we were having a guest?” My mother came around the corner and stopped in her tracks staring at all of us.</p><p>“Mother we found them during our morning perimeter check; it appears Jetèa was going to take them to the family lake today.” Why did he sound so smug about it?</p><p>“Oh my goodness…’Tèa baby, why didn’t you call me?” She wrapped her arms around me and squeezed.</p><p>“I wanted to surprise you. These are my friends, Satan, Belphie, Mammon, Beel and Levi Asmodeus is having tea with Jiji apparently. They are part of the student council at RAD; and they made me a member as well.”</p><p>“I figure they would you are so meticulous, hello boys my name is Siera Minamino; you may call me Elie or you can even call me Mother.”</p><p>“Mother!”</p><p>“There she goes.” Kiomè chuckled.</p><p>“Mama is always trying to set us up with someone, she says she wants us to be happy but I think she just wants grandchildren.” Laika whispered to Levi making him turn a dark pink.</p><p>“What did I say? You come home with five every eligible young demons and you want to tell me none of them have caught your eye?”</p><p>“Five?”</p><p>“I think my mother has claimed Asmodeus; but yes honey tell me which one of these sweeties is your beau.”</p><p>“None of them!”</p><p>“Oh so you still have to choose?”</p><p>“I’m not choosing any of them!”</p><p>“Can I choose one?”</p><p>“No Laika, you cannot!!”</p><p>“But Mammon is kina cute, and he looks at me with respect.”</p><p>“You tried to kill him half an hour ago, he looks at you with fear!”</p><p>“I don’t know Lai, I may just send you there in a few years if they are all this gorgeous. Do you have any pretty girls at your school as well?”</p><p>“Mother…”</p><p>“Oh come now Kio you cannot hurt yourself by simply looking at the menu.”</p><p>“I do not want a girlfriend Mother!” My mother wrung her hands and fidgeted.</p><p>“Well…is it…a boyfriend you want? You know I don’t care as long as my babies are happy.” Poor Kio turned darker than my hair as Laika guffawed so hard she nearly keeled over.</p><p>“Please excuse my lack of hospitality, come and have a seat in the living room. I will put on some tea, have you all eaten breakfast?”</p><p>“I’m starving.” Beel raised his hand and Mother took him by the arm with a smile.</p><p>“Then how about you help me in the kitchen?” We rested our feet in the living room and soon enough Mother and Beel came back with cakes sandwiches and tea.</p><p>“Eat your fill fellas, I know you want to go to the lake but I would love to get to know you guys first.” Mother sat between Beel and Belphie as everyone began to eat just as Jiji and Asmo ventured into the living room wearing beautiful silk kimonos.</p><p>“Don’t I look simply stunning? This lovely doll was kind enough to let me peek in her closet!”</p><p>“I have always admired asmodeous’s fashion sense, and to get such praise from him for my wardrobe is simply sensational.” Asmo looked over to my mother and gasped again.</p><p>“This beauty must be your daughter, she is a vision!”</p><p>“Yes she is my only child, my husband died many years ago and she is all I have of him, and then she graced me with these beautiful children of hers. All of them are so smart and so amazing.” I felt my cheeks get hot at our grandmothers praises.</p><p>“I am in awe at all the beauty in this family neither of you two look older than twenty five and your daughters are simply prettiness incarnate. Even your son seems to the deliciously masculine version of his older sister.”</p><p>“Down Asmo.” Levi Scolded.</p><p>“Oh the dear cannot help it, he is the avatar of lust after all.” Jiji giggled.</p><p>“Oh so that means….okay so let me guess! Hmm, Beel I know you’re gluttony. Um…Mammon from your money sign trunks I say your greed, and Satan…I can tell you’re wrath.”</p><p>“And how do you figure that? Did you read my mind?”</p><p>“No honey I just feel the rage coming off of you; it’s the same sort I felt when I was younger. And speaking of which, if you have a problem address it now.” My mother’s demeanor changed as she knelt before him and I felt instant fear; my mother was a sweet person but never one to be trifled with.</p><p>“No ma’am, I have no problem.” She looked at him deeply and touched his face with a smile.</p><p>“Sometimes tasting the soup right away is better than letting it simmer.” She rose and looked at them all again. Belphie had nodded off and Mother ran her fingers in his hair…just as I had done Lucifer’s.</p><p>“I know you’re sloth, and you sir….?”</p><p>“I know, I’m always last…so unfair.” She hugged him around his shoulders making him stammer.</p><p>“I found envy!” she laughed as Levi covered his face with his hands. She stood looking us over again.</p><p>“Huh…well isn’t there a Mr. Pride?” I swallowed hard.</p><p>“Oh yes, Lucifer our eldest brother, he had work to do so he opted to stay.”</p><p>“Oh what a shame I would love to have met him; what is he like?”</p><p>“Bossy.”</p><p>“Mean.”</p><p>“A stuck up jerk.”</p><p>“A perfectionist and an arrogant one at that.”</p><p>“So basically the male version of my sister.”</p><p>“Kiomè!”</p><p>“Mother it’s true and you know it; I’m so tired of you always overlooking her when he makes our lives hell! Even now she brings a bunch of strangers to our door and instead of scolding her you welcome them and throw a big to do about it! She’s been a total bitch to us since I was six years old and I’ll be damned if I have to sit here and pretend that she’s changed when the moment they leave she will go back to being the same sadistic control freak she’s always been!”</p><p>“Kio calm down, she is not that bad.”</p><p>“No Laika! She tortured you for years before Mother and Father decided to step in! And even then it wasn’t enough! You ran away and got captured because of her!! She is why you have that scar and I wish she was the one in your place!!” A loud and sharp slap echoed through the room as we all froze. My brother looked at our mother with a menacing scowl as blood trickled from the deep scratches on his cheek.</p><p>“Kiome…all of your life you have always made me proud and exceeded my expectations without fault. I would give you the world if you asked for it, you wouldn’t know the burden she carries to this day. You wouldn’t know the pain she holds in her heart or else you wouldn’t say such a thing, you’ve disappointed me.”</p><p>“Her pain…her pain…what about…?” He didn’t finish. He ran outside leaving behind a deafening silence. My mother stood facing the sliding glass doors with her back to us, we all looked like we did not want to be in that room and I was fighting a panic attack.</p><p>“So how about you all head down to the lake now? I will make lunch for you guys in a few hours.” She clapped her hands together with a smile.</p><p>“You don’t have to do that Mrs. Minamino, we packed our own lunches.”</p><p>“I…sort of ate those on the way here.”</p><p>“Ugh…Beel!”</p><p>“So it’s decided, go and have fun!” we got up and Laika pulled Belphie and Levi by the hands towards the door.</p><p>“Oh Elie, Korrin tells me you have a wondrous wardrobe yourself?”</p><p>“If you would like something to wear down there be my guest…” mother looked so defeated when she turned away. Mammon took my hand and pulled me along.</p><p>“Come on, don’t wanna disobey ya Mama.” We were far behind the group I felt like I was being dragged along, like I had lost all feeling in my legs as we walked and soon enough I felt my body collapse.</p><p>“Hey, you alright?!”</p><p>“No! I shouldn’t have come here, I shouldn’t have brought you all here when I knew they hated me! They will never forgive me!” Mammon held me close and rubbed my back.</p><p>“Look I got six brothers that gang up on me every day; most times I don’t even wanna come home. I don’t expect ‘em to forgive me for stupid stuff I did wrong by ‘em, but I know deep down when the shit hits the fan they got my back. Just like ya baby sister did when your brother put you down. She didn’t say the words but I think if ya gave em a chance and talked about it somethin’ might happen.”</p><p>“They don’t want anything to do with me, I was horrible to them, I made them the way they are because I didn’t know how to channel my own insecurities.”</p><p>“Well ya fail every question ya don’t answer. At least show ‘em that you wanna try.”</p><p>“When did you get to be so wise Mammon?”</p><p>“Well I didn’t get to be The Great Mammon by bein’ dumb! And I had a great tutor.” I lifted my head and kissed his cheek he blushed and turned his head away.</p><p>“Hey whaddya think ya doin’ you gotta give a guy warnin’!”</p><p>“Thank you Mammon, I have to find my brother you guys go swim and have fun.” I got up on shaky legs and went in the direction my brother ran. I found him by the old tire swing; he sat under the tree staring out to the lake as the guys began to have fun. I didn’t say a word to him but sat just a few feet away in silence.</p><p>“You have a lot of nerve don’t you? But then you always did…you were always the bold one, the strong one, the one who had a solution to everything. We were never good enough for the high and mighty Jetèa; if it wasn’t your way it was weakness.” I sat in silence as my sixteen year old brother looked at me with reddened eyes.</p><p>“Oh look now I’ve been crying; what spiteful words do you have for me huh? You going to call me a weakling like you always have? Tell me how I have no spine? At least with Laika you only needed your words, no you were much tougher on be because I was the son, I was the man of the house when Father was working; you needed to inflict physical pain on me, ever since Mother found out what you did.”</p><p>“Kio…”</p><p>“Weakness has to be punished isn’t that what you would say before you would whip me? When I would plead for you to stop or when I failed one of our run-throughs? I don’t know what makes me more spineless, crying for any reason or being angry when you stopped beating me for it! When you decided to ignore me completely I hated you even more, because at least when you abused me it meant I could improve! But when you wouldn’t so much as speak to me it was like I was worthless to you! And no matter what you would never admit it!”</p><p>“You think…that you’re worthless? How could you be so blind? I did those things…I…hurt you not because you disgusted me or because you were worthless! You are mother’s pride and joy, you are fathers only son; you skipped two grades and your psychic skills far surpass mine! And Laika is more powerful than both of us. What did I have? What could I do that set me apart?! I am the one that’s worthless Kio, even the others at school knew that for years…. ” I felt the tears pour down my face and my body shook uncontrollably. Kio pulled his knees into his chest and sobbed.</p><p>“I couldn’t protect her!! I was the only one of us who knew and I didn’t fight! I didn’t stand up for her when you did that to her and I didn’t stay with her when she needed me!! I let her go, I watched them take her and what did I do but fucking cried like a weak little bitch! How can I be worth anything when I couldn’t keep our sister safe?! When I couldn’t defend her from you!”</p><p>“You were ten years old Kio; I was the one that twisted our baby sister! I took something so pure and put darkness in her; you were right, I deserved to be punished much more than I was! I should have been taken in her place…I wished that for so many years! I hated myself for what I’ve done! I was the one who was weak for not speaking up, for taking my anger and sadness and jealousy out on you two!” I knew my brother blamed himself for what happened to our sister but I never knew the depth of his pain, the amount of anguish I inflicted on him the one night I wish I could take back. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and held him letting my own anger and pain surface and we cried together.</p><p>“There is nothing I could ever do to deserve your forgiveness; not if I tried for the rest of my life. So hate me Kio, hate me with all your soul, but don’t you dare hate yourself for my sins…don’t you dare! I was the one that failed the both of you!” he soon quieted and we listened to the sounds of splashing and yelling far below.</p><p>“You know the pathetic part is? She wouldn’t even blame either of us, its been six years and she acts like it never happened but I see it every day.”</p><p>“Do you know why?” we both looked up to see Laika soaking wet and standing nearby.</p><p>“Lai…why aren’t you down there?” She knelt before both of us and smiled.</p><p>“I was so depressed over what had happened to me, but I can still see the heart and mind of who you two truly are. There is nothing but pain and anger in the both of you, but you don’t understand that what happened when we were little though it was horrible shouldn’t haunt us all of our lives! We are still naïve, but I am not letting it hold me back anymore. I still don’t trust you Tèa, but after what I have seen here and if six demons can speak so highly of you then something had to have happened to change you. I am willing to try to build a relationship with you again.” She was willing to try? After all I’ve done?</p><p>“And Kio you were only ten, I never for a moment blamed you; I keep telling you to stop it!” she came in and we hugged each other briefly and I stood wiping my face.</p><p>“They really spoke highly of me?”</p><p>“Well they said that you give them a lot of work to do and you make them study and at times you can be annoying but you encourage them to succeed and they see you as a sister to them, I sort of got jealous so I left.”</p><p>“They said that?” I stood over the ledge and watched as they played, Asmo and Jiji floated along as mammon crashed into them trying to catch a Frisbee causing an argument.</p><p>“Classic Mammon…we should go down and break that up.” I turned back and they looked at me with devilish grins.</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“You care about them, I could see that from the moment you ran up to us; you never showed emotion for anything but your plants before. I didn’t want to believe that it would be possible.” His eyes lowered.</p><p>“Those guys….changed me.” Laika leaned next to me and watched as Satan tried to drown Levi.</p><p>“So which one to you have a crush on?”</p><p>“None of them, they are my friends.”</p><p>“Not even Lucifer?”</p><p>“Why would you ask that question?”</p><p>“I don’t know, because I saw you in a very poorly lit room running your fingers in a demons hair when Asmo mentioned that name, and it wasn’t any of them so….”</p><p>“Why were you in my head Laika, you know Mother’s rule!!”</p><p>“Mama told me to, she wants to know when you’ll be bringing a guy home.”</p><p>“She needs to calm down!”</p><p>“Mother doesn’t know the meaning of the phrase.” We all laughed.</p><p>“But honestly though do you like him, is he really like his brothers say?” What do I tell them, that he is all of that and more? Well he is…so much more but no one sees it. I want to know more, I want to understand the depth of what makes him tick but I wouldn’t go so far as to say I liked him.</p><p>“He has more to him than that, but they all do; that’s what makes them special. They saw that there was more to me too and I will forever be grateful for it.”</p><p>“Well that’s nice. If Laika is willing to try with you then I will too, in the end family is all we have in this world. You have changed substantially but I still don’t trust you as far as I can throw you.”</p><p>“I understand.” Kio suddenly grabbed me and lifted me up.</p><p>“What are you doing?!”</p><p>“Seeing how far I can trust you!” He then threw me over the ledge to the cold lake fifty feet below. I burst to the surface with a gasp and screamed before getting my bearings. Asmo floated by on a giant flamingo raising his sunglasses as he waved at me.</p><p>“Hello Rose, nice of you to drop by.” Laika Jumped in shorty after ready for another round of chicken</p><p>“Help! ‘Tèa Satan is trying to kill me! I didn’t cheat I swear!” Levi quickly swam by and Satan was right behind him. I grabbed onto his shoulders and climbed onto his back making him stop.</p><p>“Get off of me!”</p><p>“No, not until I tell you I’m sorry!”</p><p>“Just get off me, Jetèa!”</p><p>“Look I’m not winning a popularity contest by miles but you can at least outright say that you’re angry with me! Just be honest!”</p><p>“You weren’t honest with me! Everyone knew and I looked like a fool! I thought we were friends!”</p><p>“We are! Does my blood make me a different person?!” he was quiet a moment.</p><p>“No, but I am still upset with you.”</p><p>“I understand, but are we still friends?” I rested my head on his as we drifted in the water.</p><p>“You will make beautiful strawberry blondes with him Mago!”</p><p>“Jiji, not you too!” My grandmother laughed as she floated by in her sundress and large hat on an inflated swan. I looked down and saw that he was blushing.</p><p>“Satan…?”</p><p>“I thought we were close enough that you could confide in me. I do care about you, if you haven’t forgotten.”</p><p>“No I haven’t, I care about you too; I care about all of you. If I had thought it would mean our friendship I would have told you right away.”</p><p>“I can understand the others, they told me the story; but why did you tell Beel and not me?”</p><p>“It’s complicated…okay, okay don’t sink! He was going to ask me out…he’s my best friend, I wanted to prove to him that that I trusted him so I wouldn’t hurt him.”</p><p>“Interesting…I’m still mad at you but to answer your question yes we are still friends.” I hugged him and let him go, I didn’t really win everyone over but everyone is willing to try with me and I can be happy with that. I had wondered if I had died that day just how my family would take it; would my siblings be sad deep down or be happy I was gone? After that moment I could say they would be a little sad at least and that gave me a little peace. I had taken their loyalty to family for granted for too long, thinking that if I would leave them alone that it was better than the abuse; but to my brother it proved to be worse for him….i forget what a sweet and gentle soul he had. And Laika though she had changed significantly is still more gracious than the both of us. I don’t deserve either of them.</p><p>I am happy my friends have made a difference, it may take years to repair us but at least it’s a start.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. A House is Not a Home if Family isn't There</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Everyone begins to relax and they have a great evening with Jetea's family  and she begins to lean to express her feelings and regret. Lucifer finds that quiet doesn't always mean peaceful.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 22</p><p>J</p><p>The rest of the day went off without a hitch for the most part; we were even invited to stay for dinner. My mother made this really big meal for us and we all sat around the living room as the dining table was too small for all of us.</p><p>“Thank you so much for the food Mrs. Minamino! I love your chicken Masala!” Beel nearly drooled a water fall as he began to devour his plate. The others all said their thanks to my mother as she sat with us.</p><p>“Anyone who loves and accepts my children are friends of mine; don’t be shy all of you eat your fill. Maybe one of you will learn the family recipes?”</p><p>“Mother stop it!” I chided making her laugh.</p><p>“Let me have my fun, they are adorable guys and its not often I get to make a ruckus or make you blush ‘Tèa.”</p><p>“I’m not blushing Mother…”</p><p>“Is that why your hiding your face Aijou?” I noticed Laika had squeezed in so she could sit close to Mammon trying to feed him her food.</p><p>“Come on try a bite, I know you’ll like it.”</p><p>“I do, that’s why I got some on <em>my </em>plate!”</p><p>“I’m really nice when you get to know me…give me a chance.”</p><p>“Maybe in a few years, and when you ain’t tryin’ to kill me!”</p><p>“I would never kill you; as long as you don’t do anything stupid.”</p><p>“Yikes, someone’s a yandere.” Levi sniggered, only making her turn to him.</p><p>“Levi would you like to go to my room and see my Ruri-chan Figurines?”</p><p>“I…don’t like the way you asked that question, are we going to look a figurines or are you going to lock me in your closet?”</p><p>“Laika I thought you were waiting for Killua.”</p><p>“Oh so you got a boyfriend, good you can scoot away from me!”</p><p>“We’re the same age; I met him when I …went abroad for two years. We were together for a while but he decided to leave with his sister, something about finding his purpose in life.”</p><p>“Don’t forget the part where you threatened to kill his family.”</p><p>“They’re assassins and he didn’t want that life anymore!” her magenta eyes flashed at me.</p><p>“Woah…hold on! You tellin’ me your ex is an assassin?!”</p><p>“An ex assassin.” Mammon moved me in between them.</p><p>“He dumped me almost a year ago; I’m almost fifteen, a girl has to move on!”</p><p>“Then move on wit someone else cuz I ain’t interested!”</p><p>“It’s because I’m a fox isn’t it?!”</p><p>“No it’s because you’re a loon!”</p><p>“Laika that is enough, you are acting foolish. Another time and you will go to your room!” Mother almost never raises her voice to Laika, she bowed her head and poked her lip like a child.</p><p>“Yes Mama.” Levi looked at her sadly and petted her head.</p><p>“Hey so…this may seem like a weird question but-“</p><p>“Why am I a fox and my siblings aren’t? It’s sorta complicated; you see our father is a spirit fox and he merged himself with an unborn child so save himself and lived as a human. Some years ago he found a way to change back from time to time. So from a biological standpoint Yoko Kurama is my father; But Shuichi Minamino is our dad overall.”</p><p>“That does sound complicated.”</p><p>“It is, my parents fought about it, there was a lot of drama and ‘Tèa bullied me a lot when we were kids and I had thought it was for that. But she thought I was stealing daddy away…so I get it. Our childhood wasn’t the best but looking back we all made mistakes. I may not like her all the time but she is my sister.” She smiled at me weakly and I nodded to her.</p><p>“And no matter what we will have each other’s back.” Mammon leaned back over to me a warm smile on his face; he was such a help to me today and I wouldn’t quite have known what to do without his help. I nudged him and smiled making him flush and look away. Asmo picked up a photo of the family together.</p><p>“So this is your father? He’s gorgeous, obvious to see where that fiery red hair came from, ohh and those eyes! I would love to meet him.“</p><p>“Don’t let our mother hear you say that Asmo, if you guys think I’m a yandere, Mama once told Daddy that the only way he’s leaving her is in spirit.”</p><p>“Oh how passionate, but she was joking right?” my sister and I shrugged. With our mother it was hard to tell. We suddenly heard the door open and shut, an ominous vibe crept over the room. Slow and sure footsteps echoed on the floor until our father stood in the doorway of the livingroom. </p><p>“DADDY!!” Laika leapt off of the couch and ran into his arms, but she quickly let him go and stepped back looking worried. He surveyed the room with scrutiny until his eyes rested on me.</p><p>“Jetèa? Why are you here?” I stood feeling a wave of emotion come over me.</p><p>“Well I had done so well at the school that the guys wanted to treat me to a day on the lake, and I wanted them to meet you guys so I suggested ours.” He looked over to Mother who had already prepared him a plate of food.</p><p>“Why didn’t you tell me she was here?!”</p><p>“I told her not to, I wanted it to be a surprise. Daddy these are my friends, Belphie, Mammon, Levi, Beel, Asmo and Satan. We are all on the student council.”</p><p>“I see…” Oh no…was he angry with me? I ran over to hug him but a dark expression on his face stopped me in my tracks.</p><p>“It is a pleasure to meet you Mr. Minamino and we are grateful to be invited into your home.” Satan stood and bowed.</p><p>“And who said any of you were invited?” I felt a thickness in the air that made the atmosphere very dark, he was pissed and I had a feeling he would attack them.</p><p>“Daddy please, we are all friends here, I’m sorry I didn’t call but I just wanted it to be a surprise; they’ve done nothing wrong! Mother tell him!” She looked terrified as she stood back covering her mouth with her hand. An array of vines and what I knew to be poisonous flowers covered the walls and Daddy stepped closer to the guys, his emerald eyes flashing with fury and a fuchsia aura surrounding him.</p><p>“You come into my house, with my wife and children while I am gone. You eat my food and play music like you live here and yet I don’t know any of you at all. What should I do about that?” He leaned into Asmo threateningly who looked back with curious eyes.</p><p>“Maybe join the party?”</p><p>“Why yes you are exactly right!” He said with a cheerful smile and baffled us all. Mother laughed so hard she was on the floor and even Kiomè and Zoie who came downstairs to see the commotion was confounded. Daddy just laughed at our reactions and soon they laughed along with him.</p><p>“I’m so sorry ‘Tèa, I called him an hour ago; he wanted to make an impression on the guys I was just told to play along!” Mother continued laughing.</p><p>“I apologize, I simply couldn’t resist; my wife is quite the influence when it comes to mischief. But please sit and enjoy yourselves, welcome!” He started chatting with asmo and Belphie, the atmosphere livening instantly.</p><p>“Geez I hate to see what he does when ‘Tèa decide to date.” Laika laughed</p><p>“Shh no talk of that around your dad, you know how he is about you girls.</p><p>“So in other words you are going to do all of your match making under cover? What if I tell Daddy what you’ve been saying to them?” my mother raised an eyebrow and sipped her drink.</p><p>“I’m your mother, I have more dirt on the two of you then you care to realize; don’t blackmail me.” we laughed at that.</p><p>“This whole family is insane; but darn if I don’t love them.” Zoie shook his head and went back upstairs. Daddy shook the others hands and they introduced themselves. I noticed Kio standing in the doorway with his arms crossed. I looked to him hoping he would join us, but he only smiled and went back upstairs. Our relationship is far from repaired but at least he agreed to try.</p><p>  It was nearly nightfall when we left, full of food and good memories to take with us, I hugged my parents goodbye once again and this time my siblings waved with a smile.</p><p>“Goodbye Korrin my dear; do keep in touch and when you visit Devildom I must show you the clubs!” Asmo waved.</p><p>“Farewell my sweet, I hope you can handle your sake, because when I take you out I intend to have fun!”</p><p>“Oh you saucy minx, and Elie you must come dancing with me one day!” we walked back onto the trail in high spirits.</p><p>“You know what, I enjoyed myself. Your family is really nice.” Satan finally had a smile.</p><p>“I know, I mean almost gettin’ killed aside I think I had a good time.”</p><p>“Laika even gave me one of her Ruri-chan Limited edition trading cards! Today was a good day!”</p><p>“I have basked in the glow of a woman who’s beauty nearly matches my own and I can say I have lived, oh have I lived! I cannot believe your grandmother is such a legend Rose!”</p><p>“Just lucky I guess, I just know I’m ready for bed….” I yawned into my hand, not realizing just how exhausting my day was</p><p>“Ugh…me too, I’m actually full and that never happens.”</p><p>“You guys do remember we have to walk six miles back through the forest and then take a bus back to the area of the portal right?” we all looked onto the trail and looked to Belphie and groaned loudly.</p><p>L</p><p>I was sitting in my study reading late that night when I heard them come home. They all dragged in one at a time looking exhausted and went straight for the stairs.</p><p>“Well hello everyone, did you have a good time?” they all seemed to freeze and turn around, that seemed suspicious.</p><p>“Oh yeah, we had a wonderful time, her family is awesome.”</p><p>“Oh my stars, her grandmother is amazing, she is actually—oww!!” Mammon stomped hard on Asmos foot.</p><p>“What were you trying to say Asmo?” He looked at me a moment before chuckling.</p><p>“I was just going to say that she is a very fashionable dresser, her kimonos are absolutely priceless!”</p><p>“Speaking of priceless, Mammon did you steal anything?”</p><p>“What? No, I ain’t gonna steal from them! They are nice people and her Grandma actually gave me this rare egg thing, said it’ll get me a pretty penny.”</p><p>“She gave it to you?”</p><p>“I can vouch for him, she did it was a reward.”</p><p>“A reward? Mammon what did you do?!!” Jetèa climbed back to the bottom putting a hand on my arm.</p><p>“I can explain it all, no one’s done anything wrong. Please, let’s go to your study and I can tell you all about it.” they all looked tired but I still had my suspicions; nonetheless I relented and we went to my study. She sat on the couch by the fire while I poured a drink.</p><p>“Tell me Jetèa, how did my brothers fair with your family? How many incidents will I be apologizing for and who will need to be punished.” She sighed as I sat in my armchair, shaking her head with a smile.</p><p>“You underestimate your brothers Lucifer; they were fine and my family loved them.” I paused before putting the glass to my lips, flashes of early this morning creeping into my mind.</p><p>“And the Faberge egg your grandmother gave to him as a gift; please tell me what he could have done to receive such an expensive gift?”</p><p>“My Jiji is very…clairvoyant, my mother as well and she noticed that Mammon assisted me in an attempt to reconcile with my own siblings.”</p><p>“Truly?”</p><p>“Yes, he had a lot of personal experience to use and with his words I had the motivation to talk to my brother and sister. My Jiji could feel the change of air between us and when she asked I told her it was Mammon’s doing and she rewarded him.”</p><p>“And your family was alright with having a bunch of demons in their home? I hadn’t thought times had become so liberal.”</p><p>“Like I said, my family supports the work I do here; if that were not the case I would not be here. So inviting them into our home was no different than any other guests.” I thought on this as I sipped my drink wondering if there were any fabrication to her words.</p><p>“I’m serious ‘Tèa, if you are covering for them in any way-“</p><p>“Lucifer…please…would I allow them to embarrass me in front of my family? And even so, my family enjoyed them for being themselves. Why even my brother played videogames with Levi for a couple of rounds and he’s all business.”</p><p>“Truly? You never speak of your siblings much, what are they like?” Her eyes lowered and she seemed to look past me as she traveled her thoughts.</p><p>“My brother is kind, and generous; he would sacrifice anything for someone he loved or even just a friend. He is very intelligent he skipped two grades actually. He is careful and meticulous but so forgiving; and family is his greatest priority; he would defend each of us to his last breath.”</p><p>“He seems very noble.”</p><p>“He is. My sister is smart too and very sweet, but she is flamboyant and sometimes wild like a stallion. It’s that carefree spirit I envy actually she is so free and out of control and yet everything seems to fall into place for her.”</p><p>“They both seem very wonderful…but why are you crying as you speak of them?” she wiped the tears from her face and looked down to her hands trembling.</p><p>“Lucifer, may I confide in you?” Her pained eyes struck me deeply and I nodded in silence unable to find the words.</p><p>“I hurt them for many years; I wronged them and had taken their loyalty for granted. The damning part is that I saw all of these qualities in them from the start, but because I didn’t want to admit I needed them, because I didn’t want to admit the anguish I was going through, I used them for punching bags instead of support. I want to fix things with them but I feel as though we may be too far gone…and yet I want so much to hope.”</p><p>“I know what you feel in that aspect; I feel as though I do not know how to even speak to my brothers most times. I know that they don’t much care for me at all; it is why they planned this day with you and never included me. I’m sure they dreaded even coming back and seeing me again.”</p><p>“No, that isn’t true.” I chuckled at her as I finished my drink and sat it on the table. I pulled a handkerchief from my pocket and handed it to her sitting next to her as she dried her face.</p><p>“You don’t have to pacify me; I know they hold distaste for me. I have done everything I can to keep them in line…keep them safe, but instead of bringing them closer they have pulled farther from me. But it doesn’t bother me much anymore.”</p><p>“Yes it does.”</p><p>“What?” she wiped her face and looked to me with reddened eyes full of hurt.</p><p>“Of course it does; you cherish them, you go out of your way to keep them out of trouble to keep them safe and yet they don’t see what you are doing. They don’t see the sacrifices you make so that they have a decent life! You cannot tell me that it doesn’t bother in the slightest.”</p><p>“It is my duty as the eldest to clean their messes, whether or not they feel gratitude is irrelevant.” She scooted closer to me looking me in my eyes with earnest and took my hand.</p><p>“It is only you and me here; I am not talking about their gratitude! You and I both know that it bothers you they excluded you purposefully, it’s why you didn’t choose to go.”</p><p>“What difference does it make?”</p><p>“Don’t you want to repair your relationship with them?” I sighed and pulled my hand away from her.</p><p>“Of course…but I don’t know where to even start; they are all so different, I wouldn’t even know how to communicate with them. But if I must speak in confidence, there are days I wish I could do things differently, days I want to take back. Maybe if I had a second chance at it, I would have a better relationship with all of them…but going back in time is a fools dream; there is nothing that can be done about the past.” No, there was nothing to be done about the past the only thing we could do is keep swimming, hoping that each day you can get closer to the surface; that maybe soon you can rest and leave those memories within the dark depths. She rested her head on my chest making me lose my train of thought.</p><p>“Please excuse me…I am a little tired.”</p><p>“Perhaps you should go on to bed.”</p><p>“I have to hear about your day first. How was it being free from them for a day?” I thought about it for a moment as I looked down to the claret mess that covered her face, lifting my arm to the back of the couch so that she was more comfortable.</p><p>“As I suspected it was quiet, I rose at the normal time and completed my tasks; I had lunch with Diavolo and Barbatos and I caught up on some reading I had been procrastinating on. I sat here listening to The Seven Lords soundtrack and enjoyed the fact that I wasn’t going to be bothered for one mishap or another.”</p><p>“That’s good…I’m glad you finally got to have peace.” Why did her words have a habit of striking a chord with me? Why did I feel like they meant more?</p><p>“Senpai…Your heart is racing…are you alright?” An olive colored eye looked up at me lazily.</p><p>“I thought I heard a noise, it was probably Beel walking to the kitchen again.”</p><p>“Ah…ok...i had a lot of fun...i got to see my mom and dad again…I didn’t know how much I missed them until I got back.”</p><p>“Well that’s good.”</p><p>“Mother wants to meet you…she thinks… I have a crush on you? Pfft isn’t that funny?”</p><p>“Ha, yes quite.”</p><p>“Can you imagine…us together…like really? You aren’t bad though…you look…. Really… gorgeous when…you’re sleeping…I just wanted to….” I was taken aback again. And I waited for her to finish.</p><p>“You wanted to what?” she began to snore softly and I sighed silently as I moved the hair from her face.</p><p>“I told you; I knew you found me attractive you liar. But I must confess your image haunts my thoughts as well…any time I see this shade of red I see you. When I dream your there and when I wake I am cursed by you. Is that it, have you hexed me? Why are you are so relentless in driving me mad?” I studied her relaxed features as I tucked her hair behind her ear.</p><p>“My little kindred spirit; I must admit that you are beautiful to the eye as well, I knew that from the beginning…but something else has caught my attention about you. Something in your spirit; though there is darkness and pain, though you are bound by your pride much like I am you still search for redemption. You still try to find the light within yourself even when it seems so hopeless. You came here and said you wanted nothing to do with us, that making friends was illogical and now look at you; my brothers are wrapped around your finger. And dare I say…that so am i?” I looked around the room, deathly afraid of the words that threatened to escape me.</p><p>“Your tenacity…your relentless search for light….it motivates me. It makes me want to search as well; though I do not know how or may never achieve such a goal, you make me want to try. You make me believe it is possible to strengthen my bond with my brothers again. Can you even believe it?” I moved from under her, laying her on the couch and covering her with my coat. I lowered the other lights and left the fireplace going.</p><p>“Don’t speak a word of this to anyone; but I actually missed them. The quiet was too much it seemed and this big house with only me….well it was lonely; even eating alone had no appeal. I suppose I couldn’t relish in their absence as I thought I could….i even missed you…and I am not sure what we will do when you leave us.” I left her there to sleep for the night, as I went to my bedroom I began to berate myself for the words I had spoken, how could I have said such foolish and weak things? How would I explain myself if she had heard them? Being alone today stirred more than the usual feelings within me; and I realize that she was right. Somehow I should do better with my brothers, they were all I had left; in the end, family was the only thing we ever truly get to have, to squander that would be an even bigger sin than what had damned us.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. What is This Feeling?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>There are definite signs of feelings brewing between the two and Asmo will stop at nothing to bring it to the light.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 23</p><p>J</p><p>“And when we take into the account of the savings from last quarter we have in fact not only stayed within budget but made more money to go towards the school itself. The comforting candy drive and the yakisoba bread sales at lunch have brought staggering revenue as you see on page four of your handout.” Diavolo looked over all of our information of the meeting with excited eyes, he had been in a great mood lately; the school was improving even beyond his own standards and everyone was finally working together.</p><p>“This is amazing Satan, Lucifer do you have anything to add?” Lucifer rose, clearing his throat as he passed along packets to the rest of us.</p><p>“Why yes, over the past month we have implemented the action plan D.E.V.I.L. That is Deter, Evaluate, Veracitate, Improve and Liberate. We have taken account the many types and levels of delinquencies and created a tier type deterrence system based on them. Now a student that has done a punishable delinquent act will not only face the consequences but then go into the evaluation section where they will have to perform many tasks and undergo background checks of their student records or any record outside of school.”</p><p>“Once that is complete we determine the students’ ability to rehabilitate; we find this by configuring their veracity or ability to tell the truth.” I cut in and he glanced at me with an irritated gleam in his eye, baiting him was always fun.</p><p>“Would you like to finish?”</p><p>“Oh no, I just thought you had forgotten the next step is all.” I smiled and he raised an eyebrow.</p><p>“After we test the students ability to rehabilitate they will then go through the process and once complete they will be returned to the normal population with normal privileges hence liberation.” He paused and looked at me and I only smiled so he went on.</p><p>“Once this action plan was set into motion and explained to the student body, the amount of delinquencies on the grounds have been cut in half. And of the ten students who have gone through our process nine are yet to offend again.”</p><p>“They found the whole thing so tedious and demanding that they wouldn’t dare get in trouble again.” He cleared his throat through gritted teeth and laid the papers back onto the table.</p><p>“As Jetèa said, during the four week process we have found that after having their normal privileges returned they showed no signs of reoffending as of yet. They simply didn’t like the paperwork, questions and tasks they needed to perform. Hence the process itself is meant to be a deterrent; however those that have record of delinquency in the past can thoroughly rehabilitate. And because of this our delinquency rate for the year has gone from about fourteen percent to only eight percent in just four weeks.”  </p><p>“That is exemplary! Well done, very well done!” Diavolo clapped his hands in joy.</p><p>“It was Jetèa who came up with the system itself; I merely applied the many possible punishments.”</p><p>“Sort of like how mother makes the rules and Father dishes out the time outs?” Asmo leaned forward with a smile.</p><p>“Don’t be preposterous Asmo, it is a system; no analogies necessary.”</p><p>“If you say so.” He grinned ear to ear.</p><p>“This is all wonderful news, and this makes my announcement even sweeter! As you know next week is my birthday and I will be hosting a party at my house! But please I don’t want any formalities or even gifts; I want to use this to celebrate an awesome year and the friendships made. I just have to say you guys have pulled this academy into such a tight ship and still make it warm and inviting as well! That is the amazing part; most schools with strict rules feel like a prison and no one wants to attend. Too loose and there is mayhem; poor grades, abysmal attendance and delinquency would be at an all time high. This academy is the perfect medium and I have the two of you to thank the most.” Lucifer and I looked to each other in confusion even though we both knew very well that we were the ones that carried the bulk of the weight. But still I wasn’t sure about him, but hearing Diavolo lay on the praise was well worth the work we did.</p><p>“I will see you all tomorrow; once again well done all of you!” Diavolo walked out with a pep in his step; you know scratch that, seeing him visibly happy with our results made it worth it.</p><p>“You all will be bringing a gift to his birthday party; that is not optional.”</p><p>“I knew that was coming.” Satan threw his pen down</p><p>“Ugh…and what if we don’t got any money?”</p><p>“Looks like you and I are getting a job Mammon, you think people would pay to see me eat?”</p><p>“Please don’t…last time you tried to do that I was nauseous for a week.” Belphie cringed.</p><p>“Regardless of how you get it, you will not enter his house empty handed.”</p><p>“So we don’t have to go right?” Lucifer glared at Levi.</p><p>“Okay Geez!”</p><p>“This meeting is adjourned.” He gathered his things and walked out abruptly. Did…I offend him? I chased him down grabbing his arm.</p><p>“Lucifer wait…”</p><p>“And just what do you want?” I held onto his arm with both hands and smiled at him but he wasn’t yielding.</p><p>“Hey…I was only playing with you…I meant no harm.”</p><p>“You have been doing that a lot lately; I cannot help but remember your interruptions and need to input was what had put us at odds in the first place.” I leaned close and rested head on his shoulder looking up with puppy dog eyes.</p><p>“But we are past that aren’t we?” He looked at me suspiciously and turned to face me.</p><p>“I know you; you have always loved to get a rise out of me. But you know that was uncalled for.” I let him go, I suppose I pushed him too much for one day.</p><p>“I’m sorry. It was insensitive of me.” his eyes softened and he chuckled.</p><p>“Just don’t do it again.” And with that he left; before I knew it a familiar set of arms were around my waist from behind.</p><p>“Hello Asmo!”</p><p>“Hello to you my Rose! Don’t let the hug fool you I am quite mad at you!”</p><p>“You too, what did I do to you?” He rested his chin on my shoulder and I could see his grin.</p><p>“You didn’t tell me you and Lucifer were a thing; I’m so jealous, I wanted you for myself but this is a much juicer topic.” I shrugged him off of me and turned around.</p><p>“What in the world are you talking about?!” He crossed his arms and shifted to one leg while wagging a finger.</p><p>“Now, now Rose; you forget I am the avatar of lust, I know all there is to know about love and I know it when I see it. You are smitten with him, I saw you in the meeting; interrupting him on purpose and giving a snide comment here or there.”</p><p>“I like to aggravate him, with your logic Satan is in love with him too.”</p><p>“But his eyes don’t sparkle when Lucifer looks at him! You are like the little boy who likes to pull his crushes pigtails. I saw it in your eyes and for a moment you played with your hair, classic!”</p><p>“Asmo you are being ridiculous; Lucifer is a friend and colleague, nothing more.”</p><p>“But you have to admit you have been acting differently towards him since we came back from your family’s house a few weeks ago. What changed if that isn’t it?” I thought about that night, and my dream. I had dreamt I had fallen asleep in his arms and he spoke sweet words to me as he stroked my face. The only thing I remember was that he found me beautiful and somehow I had him around my finger. But that was absurd; Lucifer wasn’t the type to show such emotions and most certainly wouldn’t show them to me. I have a feeling he is hiding a lot of pain and regret in his heart and his walls were too tall to fathom. In honesty it was hard to simply let my own guard down; Beel was the only one I had trusted, but Lucifer was the only one who understood, but letting my guard down constantly with him was beginning to make me resent him slightly. I wanted to be strong like he is, but it seems like an entirely different wall to feat.</p><p>But dream or no dream it didn’t invoke feelings of that nature, we were close friends, we understood each other and that was that.</p><p>“I may tease him simply because I’m bored; we have gotten the school under control but I have been feeling restless. I think I need to simply go out.”</p><p>“Oi, ‘Tèa come on you and me are goin’ out to get Diavolo’s gift.”</p><p>“Ah, classic Mammon, lurking for an opportunity to get to Rose.”</p><p>“Shaddup Asmo, I was jus walkin’ by and there you guys were.” Whether he was looking for an opportunity or not he was an escape from the conversation. I grabbed Mammon by the arm and began to pull him away.</p><p>“I have to go but we will talk later!”</p><p>“Oh you better believe we will!” Mammon and I ran through the halls and out of the building.</p><p>“So what was that all about?”</p><p>“Oh you know Asmo, running his mouth about this or that; so did you have a place in mind for Diavolo’s gift?” He looked at me confused for a moment and scratched his head.</p><p>“I may have a few places in mind; he’s gonna be so grateful that he will love my gift best, he will grovel at my feet for bein’ so thoughtful!”</p><p>“Do you have any idea of what he may want?” he sulked at that</p><p>“No…not at all.”</p><p>“Well we can hit up Majolish and see if there are any good things that catch our eye.”</p><p>“Really you wanna go there?”</p><p>“You never know, you may find that diamond in the rough and you’ll be glad you went there.”</p><p>“Yeah I s’pose so, let’s start there then.” I couldn’t believe what Asmo had said; I have taunted Lucifer from the very beginning it shouldn’t mean anything now. The only thing that changed was that we understand each other more; it also means we put up with and even look out for each other; I did that with all of them! Why would Asmo get such ideas? True I had never been so bold as to taunt him in front of Diavolo, but I did not have a sparkle in my eyes as he said! I thought back to that dream, it was hazy but it felt real as well. He was right I have been different since then; I just felt the need to annoy him and I wasn’t sure why. I couldn’t go a day without seeing the way his brow would crease or his lips would purse. I was satisfied most whenever he would soften at my apologies. Was that it, was I testing him? Was I really trying to see if I had him wrapped around my finger? If Mammon or any of the other brothers would purposefully interrupt him during a meeting he would have punished them, hell Mammon would be strung up by his ankles, but I got practically nothing. Was it because I was an exchange student or something else? Either way it didn’t mean I had a crush on him…..did it?</p><p>L</p><p> I went over the paperwork from the meeting in my office still trying to get over her blatant disrespect. As the days progressed it seemed I was being tormented by that vexatious girl all over again. It seemed as though every moment we were together she would do her best to irritate me and then pull me in with her apologies and affection. It was as though she enjoyed the very thought of toying with me! She had thoroughly crossed the line in front of Diavolo and then looked at me like as though she were innocent! I should have yelled at her; I should have not forgiven her so easily but...each time she looked at me with those mossy brown eyes I was like a white hot knife struck me in the chest and then filled me with warmth. She was making me so unlike myself; she was possibly controlling me at this point. If this continued I would have to consider putting her in a different living arrangement; of course there was still school itself and she was on the council, even if she slept somewhere else she I would still be cursed by her. I thought of the night I held her and the words I had said…this girl….she was driving me insane and I wasn’t sure at this point what action I should take. I couldn’t admit she had an effect on me; that was out of the question, but what could I do?</p><p>“Lucifer…your beautiful younger brother has arrived!” Ugh…now I was truly getting a headache.</p><p>“Asmo, to what do I owe the pleasure?” He took the chair across from me with an ear to ear grin, he usually smiled like this when he had gossip to share.</p><p>“I have the most interesting tidbit of information for you big brother.”</p><p>“Asmo I do not care for your afternoon gossip, I have a lot of work to do.”</p><p>“Aw what is it Lucifer, feeling stressed?”</p><p>“Nothing of the kind; I am simply busy and do not have time for trivial matters.”</p><p>“Ah but you see, this is not trivial, not once you hear it.”</p><p>“Fine, what is it?” he instantly got giddy.</p><p>“Ok so you know how Rose has been…acting out lately?” So everyone else saw it too.</p><p>“You believe there is a reason behind it?” he nodded enthusiastically</p><p>“Don’t you see how she will goad you on and then pull you back? The way she ran after you once she saw you were upset? The way her eyes sparkled when you would look at her crossly?”</p><p> “What does it have to do with anything?”</p><p>“Don’t you see it Lucifer, she’s pulling your pigtails!” I instantly regretted this conversation.</p><p>“Get out, I’m busy.”</p><p>“Oh come on, you can’t tell me you don’t notice it!”</p><p>“Notice what? What are you even talking about Asmo?!”</p><p>“Rose has a crush on you!” I stared at him for several seconds.</p><p>“Wh-“</p><p>“Now hear me out, you and her have gotten pretty chummy over the past few months, I mean you started out like mortal enemies or something and after all this time of getting to know each other and become friends she starts to irritate you on purpose again?”</p><p>“It would seem so.”</p><p>“But why?”</p><p>“I’m sure you will tell me.”</p><p>“Something happened the night we came back from her families house. Now mind you while we were there I heard from her sister that her mother noticed a change in her face when we mentioned your name. I think her mother suspects something is up.” I thought of her sleepy words on that night. It didn’t mean anything except that her mother suspected a crush as parents are likely to do.</p><p>“So her mother suspects something; that doesn’t mean Jetèa feels anything.”</p><p>“Aha! But the last piece, she hasn’t acted this way until the next morning, you were the last one of us to speak to her that night. Were certain words exchanged, maybe…a little contact?” Those moments and words flashed in my mind again.</p><p>“Nothing of the kind.”</p><p>“Then why was she asleep in your study?”</p><p>“She fell asleep so I left her there.”</p><p>“After you covered her with your coat, so she could smell your scent all night maybe?”</p><p>“What are you implying Asmodeus?”</p><p>“I don’t think this is one sided. The moment I said she had a crush on you your eyes changed and you sat just a little straighter. Call me insane brother but I think you have a bit of a crush on her as well. You have every right; she is gorgeous, smart, a kind person and she isn’t afraid of you! I mean I wanted her for myself but it seems you need her more than I would.” I sat back and looked to my younger brother with a smile</p><p>“Why Asmo, I believe you are absolutely right.”</p><p>“Do you now?”</p><p>“Yes, you are truly insane.” He looked entirely indignant and sat back with a huff.</p><p>“Do not forget I know love when I see it and the way you two interact screams it from the rooftops Lucifer!”</p><p>“What did she say, hmm? What did Jetèa have to say about your notions?”</p><p>“She said that she has feelings but she would never admit them to you. She knows the mighty and proud Lucifer would never reciprocate something as silly as love.” I leaned forward and watched him closely.</p><p>“You’re lying.”</p><p>“Am I?”</p><p>“Yes. Plain and simple, now please, I have work to do.”</p><p>“But Lucifer-“</p><p>“I am tired of this conversation; drop it right now I will hear no more of it!” He pursed his lips and stood abruptly.</p><p>“Fine, but when you are alone and heartbroken do not come to me because I will only say that I told you so.”</p><p>“I wouldn’t dream of it.” He leaned over my desk looking me in the face with saddened eyes.</p><p>“That’s the problem Lucifer; I know you are the avatar of pride but it consumes you more than even you think it does. She is the only one who could help you, but you wouldn’t look at the facts if they were right in your face!”</p><p>“Get out Asmodeus.” He smirked and backed away.</p><p>“I will go, but you will remember this moment brother; and one day you will tell me I am right.” He left at that and I sat alone with the ticking of the clock. This girl…she consumed my thoughts like a plague, she made me unfocused and weak and yet…no. These things I feel, they were not what can be described as love, nothing of the sort. She felt like a curse for than anything, and yet she was the remedy all in one. And even in the rarity that what Asmo was saying was true and these feelings were of affection, there is no way that a human girl would feel such things towards someone like me.</p><p>  What type of life would come of it? She would grow old and pass within sixty years’ time, what is sixty years to a demon but a fleeting moment, a fling at the most. The very thought of it was not only false but outrageous. In any case I knew Jetèa, she would never admit to Asmo of all people if she held affections for me he was too quick to gossip. I would have to find out the truth myself and nip it in the bud; if he was right in her feeling as he suspects then it would the most humane approach, to let it linger and fester would only cause conflict.</p><p>  My brothers just didn’t see the most sensible answers; why would one want to entertain such silly notions. Couldn’t they see that such a relationship would only bring pain and unnecessary sorrow? To watch her grow old and die…would be a pain I wouldn’t want to imagine. Knowing she wasn’t long for the next world and that it was completely out of my control, knowing she would suffer from one illness or another leading to the event and that I wouldn’t be able to keep the promise I had made to her, to keep her safe was unbearable. And just what would that fleeting moment be like? Would it be full of fighting and petty bickering or would there be moments of ecstasy? Would she be able to endure my darkness, guide my tired body to the surface and give me air? Would she try, would she desire to be the one to-</p><p>“DAMMIT ASMODEUS!” He put these trivial ideas into my head! I knew better than to indulge him! The fact of the matter is that this isn’t what he accused it to be. But something is very off, and I needed to get to the bottom of it immediately, before she drove me completely insane.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Decisions, Decisions</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jetea has a talk with Mammon about their past differences, Satan questions her about a strange illness going around, During this conversation she begins to wonder if her secret is really hurting the school and potentially her friendship with Lucifer.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 24</p><p>J</p><p>We looked all over the shop and were having a difficult time trying to find the right gift for Diavolo. It was difficult to buy for a prince that literally could and did have everything he wanted.</p><p>“Oi, what ‘bout this, ya think he’ll clap for joy at this?” Mammon came out with a monkey with clashing symbols.</p><p>“Well…he is more modest than any ruler I met, it is very possible but I would try something…more.”</p><p>“How many rulers ya met?!”</p><p>“Well…I have met Koenma, he is the ruler of Spirit World; it coincides with the Yokai realm.”</p><p>“Okay… hmm, there ain’t nothin’ here; this is hopeless.” I put my hand on his shoulder.</p><p>“It’s only the first place; we will find something.” He looked at me with pained eyes and flushed.</p><p>“Are you alright?” he backed away, his hands in his pockets.</p><p>“Why ya gotta keep bein’ so nice to me? You know I ain’t used to it; no one treats me like you do.”</p><p>“You’re my friend Mammon, how should I treat a friend other than how I want to be treated?” I reached for him again and he cringed.</p><p>“I…I can’t stop thinkin’ ‘bout how I treated ya…how much of a bastard I was.” I hugged him from behind pressing my cheek against his shoulders.</p><p>“You were angry at yourself…you tried to push me away because you doubted yourself; you need to have faith in yourself Mammon.”</p><p>“How can I do that, nobody ever had any in me.” I walked around him so that he could face me and I looked him in the eyes.</p><p>“Look at what you’ve done! Your grades are substantially better than last year, you have applied yourself to the fullest and you haven’t stolen anything in the longest. You have proven your brothers wrong time and again. You are not worthless; far from it, so yes, you need to have faith in yourself.” He pulled me in and hugged me.</p><p>“It doesn’t mean I’m any good.”</p><p>“Well…we are demons, so we aren’t all good, but we aren’t all bad either.”</p><p>“ ’Scuse me? You only got half demon blood in ya.”</p><p>“What difference does it make? Is any creature all good or all bad?”</p><p>“I mean there are angels….”</p><p>“Pfft, if angels were all good we wouldn’t have Demons, we all have bad in us; we but we also have good too. That’s my point.” I let him go and he looked at me oddly.</p><p>“What’s the matter?”</p><p>“So you forgive me?”</p><p>“I forgave you months ago; I don’t know why you would ask now. I did use to have this nightmare though.”</p><p>“Really?”</p><p>“I was in a dessert and I found an oasis, I drank this really cool water and the shade felt so good. I found a peach and started to eat it, then this crow appeared and looked hungry. I gave him some fruit but refused to give him the pit. He got angry and pecked my eyes out.” He looked visibly upset.</p><p>“Knowing the crow is your symbol I knew what it meant; but what I thought was because I didn’t divulge in my inner self…my rough and bitter pit you were angry at me. But I know better now.”</p><p>“I’m….so sorry.” I punched him in the shoulder.</p><p>“I told you I forgave you a long time ago! Do I need to beat it into you again?” He backed up with his arms raised.</p><p>“No I’m good.”</p><p>“Now come on, let’s get out of here.” I pulled him by his hand out of the store and we began walking again.</p><p>“Hmm, have you thought about making him a gift?”</p><p>“Makin’ a gift for Diavolo? How am I ‘sposed to do that?”</p><p>“We can find a lot of things in these stores for it. I was just thinking of the crow and how they collect shiny objects, if you made Diavolo such a gift it would prove thoughtful and unique.”</p><p>“Hmm I think ya might be right. He can’t possibly have any of something I made myself. He would be so grateful for it, everyone else’s gifts will look inferior cuz they just went and bought stuff. Yeah, let’s do it!” We went from store to store, buying things like colorful stones, wire or fabric. He seemed excited during it all, smiling the whole time, it made me happy.</p><p>“Alright, I got a bunch of stuff and I’m ‘bout out of cash but something is missin’.”</p><p>“What do you think that is?”</p><p>“I dunno…but I can work wit this for now.”</p><p>“Alright anywhere else you want to go?”</p><p>“Nah, let’s get back.” He seemed agitated as he turned back around.</p><p>“Hey there she is, Mammon was holding her hostage!” Belphie and Satan walked up.</p><p>“I ain’t holdin’ nobody hostage! She’s helpin’ me out that’s all.”</p><p>“Yeah sure, we know you probably pulled her along with some sob story to make her go with you.”</p><p>“That ain’t what happened Belphie, shut ya mouth!”</p><p>“Boys please; we don’t have to fight, we can all shop together.” Mammons face took on a dark expression and he began to walk away.</p><p>“Nah, I’m done; you keep shoppin’ I’m goin’ home.”</p><p>“Wait Mammon!”</p><p>“Let him go, he looked like he was going to leave when we got here anyway.”</p><p>“Besides he has bags of stuff and we haven’t gotten anything yet how is that fair?”</p><p>“We need help, please?” I looked to the two of them and sighed.</p><p>“Fine, what do you guys have in mind?”</p><p>“I want to get him something he would use, something practical like pajamas or even a golf set.”</p><p>“When have you ever known Diavolo to play golf?”</p><p>“He could if he had a set of clubs!”</p><p>“What are you thinking of Satan?”</p><p>“I want to get him a good book, I remember he said he enjoyed the Grim series; I would like to find one of those.”</p><p>“Well excellent we shall go to Akuzon and The Royal Library and see what we can find.” We went to Akuzon so Belphie could find his gift first as Satan and I stood outside in silence.</p><p>“Are you still mad at me?” His emerald eyes lifted to me in a flutter.</p><p>“Do I give the impression that I am?”</p><p>“It is a yes or no question.” He smirked curtly at my tone.</p><p>“Are you hiding anything else from me?”</p><p>“And what do you mean by that?”</p><p>“You haven’t noticed the oddities going on around campus have you? I suppose not, you’ve been busy…” I stood closer to him and he looked at me with angry eyes.</p><p>“What has been going on? We are supposed to be friends Satan; I know I should have told you, I was wrong for that but I am not a different person.”</p><p>“Different, right….i want to know, your brother and sister can read minds, your mother too. What about you? How many times have you been in our heads, in my head? Reading me like a book so you can tell me what you know I want to hear, is that it? Tell me the truth or so help me-“ I put my hand over his mouth and looked him deep in the eye.</p><p>“I can read minds, I can also see memories when I concentrate; but as for what I have done to you I have not invaded your privacy. I don’t read minds out of respect for the person, so by saying these things I feel like you are treating me like an enemy when I mean you no harm.” He removed my hand and held it.</p><p>“I cannot help but be concerned is all…what about anyone else?”</p><p>“Those bastards at the junkyard, and I don’t want to talk about that.”</p><p>“And my brothers? Have you read any of theirs?” I thought back to the time I had read Lucifer’s mind on my first day; I regretted it so much now but I was so angry and petty then.</p><p>“Well?!”</p><p>“I did read Lucifer, but only once and it was my first day, and no one else.”</p><p>“Does he know about this?”</p><p>“No, he’s the only one who doesn’t know; I want to tell him…but I feel he may take it much worse than you.” He took a step back and put his hand to his chin in deep thought.</p><p>“You applied for this exchange as a human, even if it is partially true, I believe you would be seriously splitting hairs in this situation. You never specified and thus altered the decision of your admittance.”</p><p>“So they wouldn’t have accepted me if I told them I has half demon?”</p><p>“Not for the exchange no….but then I don’t make those decisions it was on Lucifer and Diavolo to decide.” I had a feeling that they would not have approved me if I had divulged my lineage; I wonder what would have happened if I had, where I would be? Satan began to cough and as I looked to him he seemed a little pale.</p><p>“Are you sick? You need to be resting!” I put my hand to his forehead and he shuddered.</p><p>“It’s fine, I get this way off and on, it’s one of the odd things that has been going on.”</p><p>“You never told me what was happening.” He opened his mouth to speak and we were interrupted by a shout.</p><p>“Why if it isn’t my favorite demon girl and Satan, what are you doing here Red, I haven’t seen you in ages.” Eliza and Riley walked up to us together and they seemed a little closer than usual.</p><p>“Hey guys; what has happened since we talked last?” Eliza tucked her dark hair behind her ear.</p><p>“You mean when you yelled at us for trying to help you?”</p><p>“Oh…I’m so sorry about that.”</p><p>“No worries, it’s a common occurrence to be defensive after suffering trauma, but you seem much better now.” She came in and hugged me and for once she didn’t play in my hair.</p><p>“Something is different, are you two…?” Eliza blushed and Riley put his arm around her.</p><p>“We been together so much I guess I grew on her. I was stunned when she agreed to go out with me; I couldn’t be more excited.” Wow the dark and mystic Eliza and the cheery and meek Riley? I really have been in my own world lately. Eliza looked over to Satan and touched his face.</p><p>“How are you doing today? You look sick again, are you alright?”</p><p>“Uhhh, what is going on here?”</p><p>“Oh satan and I have a pact, I did him a huge favor and we made it in return of it. it’s been what a couple weeks now?” Satan looked aggravated by her touch.</p><p>“Yes that is correct.”</p><p>“Now Eliza, leave him be; you know you get a little touchy with others at times.”</p><p>“He looks ill Riley, and I cannot let something of mine be damaged.” He snatched her wrist in her hand.</p><p>“I am not your property!” She looked up at him with a calm expression.</p><p>“I’m sorry, you know I only care.” Riley tugged her back with a smile.</p><p>“We have to go, but we will see you guys later alright?” I had gotten a strange feeling about this and Satan seemed to feel worse as time went on.</p><p>“Bye Satan, see you later Red.”  They walked inside as Belphie walked out.</p><p>“I got him a set of nice silk pajamas and slippers. There’s no reason he wouldn’t use it.” He held up a red and black pajama set, his own face looking pale and sweaty.</p><p>“Good then let’s hit the book store so we can go home.”</p><p>“Are you guys sure you should be out now? You guys look ill.” Satan took me by the arm and we were off again. Soon we were at the Bookstore and this time we all went in together.</p><p>“Guys you need to get home and get some rest you don’t need to overdo it.”</p><p>Satan leaned his head back and sighed as I watched the color return to his face.</p><p>“It happens now and again, I don’t know why…but it never lasts long.”</p><p>“That is so strange…how long has this been going on?” Belphie sighed as he began to look better too.</p><p>“About a month now, I don’t know what it is; but it’s like my power is being taken from me, like I’m being drained. Something like this has never happened before.”</p><p>“That is so odd, but you are better now?” Satan reached for a book and looked to the title and then me with a smile.</p><p>“Yes, all is well. This was a much quicker trip than I had anticipated. Let’s get home, we still have homework to do.” we began to walk back in silence; I couldn’t understand how something like this was going on without my knowledge, why wouldn’t they confide in me?</p><p>“Why didn’t you guys tell me something was wrong?” They looked to each other and shrugged.</p><p>“In honestly I only found out Satan was going through it too yesterday. I didn’t think anyone was having this problem.”</p><p>“I mean suddenly feeling weak and sick isn’t normal I think you should speak to a medic.”</p><p>“It’s no big deal Jetèa, as we said it goes away within minutes.” I watched them a moment again. They both looked embarrassed and agitated, I’m guessing they didn’t want anyone to know what was going on.</p><p>“What else has been going on?” Satan looked up and sighed in thought again.</p><p>“I honestly can’t put my finger on it… but i feel as though things are being stolen from the records; I speak to a student and they bring up things that are only in my file, only I or my brothers would know. I would assume someone was a snitch but then…”</p><p>“The same things were happening to me, Asmo, Beel and Levi too.”</p><p>“If it is a security breach then Lucifer needs to know right away!”</p><p>“We can’t prove that’s even what it was; to be honest it was the reason I questioned you.” I stopped walking, I felt like he slapped me right in the face.</p><p>“You think I would do that to you? Take your secrets and share them for no reason?! What the hell Satan?!”</p><p>“Look I’m sorry; I was just trying to eliminate all possibilities. To be honest I wanted it to be you, because if someone else was getting info on us by other means I cannot fathom how and why they are doing it. I could possibly forgive you being curious and letting something slip.”</p><p>“How would anyone know Beel was allergic to sulfur berries if one of us didn’t tell them? It is all suspicious but at least it’s harmless.”</p><p>“I hope so.” I had a feeling they weren’t telling me everything; but I knew I wouldn’t be able to pull it out of them. I had just hoped that everything was alright.</p><p>“Listen, Lucifer is the only one who doesn’t know your secret; there is a dilemma with that as he was also put in charge of the exchange student’s admittance. He could have you expelled for technically falsifying your application. He seems to have a soft spot for you but he will never let this slide, it puts the reputation of the school at risk.”</p><p>“A soft spot, for me?”</p><p>“You practically get away with murder, today proved that.” I did know that, it was why I had been testing him as of late. I also know that him accepting me for my lineage wouldn’t be the issue as much as the fact that I hadn’t divulged it before. He is Mr. Pride after all.</p><p>“The way I see it you have two choices, you either go and tell him and Diavolo together as soon as possible or you keep your mouth shut and hope he never finds out; but the longer you wait the worse it will be.”</p><p>“I know…” Should I bring Diavolo in on this? Would he be angry at me as well? Did I truly damage the school’s reputation for even being here? Satan was right, if I wait it will only get worse, but if I put them together it will seem like I am forcing Lucifer’s hand and that will hurt his pride more than the news itself. I would tell him in confidence, when the time is right I will get him alone and hope for the best.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Her Knight in Raven Feathers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jetea spends an afternoon with Lucifer to retrieve a gift for Diavolo's party. During which there is a confrontation and Jetea truly realizes what she was refusing to see.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 25</p><p>L</p><p>The day before the party I found her in her greenhouse as usual; she seemed to be just finishing up with them as I made my presence known.</p><p>“Lucifer, to what do I owe the pleasure?” She looked almost startled, as though I had interrupted her train of thought. This was one of those rare occasions she wore her hair completely down and I noted how it framed those mossy eyes.</p><p>“I came to see if you could assist me in something.” She looked at me curiously before a glint of mischief illuminated her eyes.</p><p>“Is the mighty and proud Senpai asking for help? Why these must be trying times if you come groveling to me.”</p><p>“You say that now; wait until you see what it is.” Now she was truly curious.</p><p>“What is it?”</p><p>“Follow me and you shall see.” I lead her down the corridor under the main part of the house and back out to the woods on the adjacent side.</p><p>“I have never been out here before.” She looked around the area excitedly.</p><p>“Of course you haven’t, I wouldn’t allow anyone down here other than myself; now I need you to stand close to me and make no sudden movements.” I whistled and waited, she stood wide eyed and clung to me as the distant trees began to snap and fall. A black dog with three heads standing about ten feet high at the shoulders came barreling out of the woods in our direction and showed no signs of stopping.</p><p>“Cerberus heel!” the dog stopped in his tracks, slowly turning and taking his position on my right ride. I patted him and his large tail wagged.</p><p>“Oh…wow…he’s magnificent!” she darted from my left and approached him making him growl.</p><p>“I said no sudden movement!” she looked at me meekly before offering her hand to him unafraid. His heads lowered to her and sniffed her thoroughly before licking her excitedly.</p><p>“That is so odd; he never warms up to anyone like this.” I watched as she gave each head kind scratches and spoke sweetly to him.</p><p>“He’s adorable, yes you are, who’s a good boy?” Cerberus rolled over and she began to scratch his chest as he wagged his tail like a puppy! He never submitted to anyone but me, I had only brought her out here because he was an excellent judge of character but I had not expected this. On the other hand she seemed to relax completely as well, it was as if she had forgotten I was here, letting herself smile and act a fool for a dog when it would be out of the question anywhere else.</p><p>“I thought you only cared for flora, not fauna.”</p><p>“I do love dogs, especially big beautiful boys like you!”</p><p>“How many demon hounds have you come across?”</p><p>“You remind me of Zoie, yes you do you big beautiful boy!”</p><p>“Zoie…? Is he your dog?” She froze, apparently she hadn’t thought before she spoke, how unlike her.</p><p>“My mother’s…sort of…it’s complicated.” I clicked my tongue and Cerberus assumed the heel command again with lowered ears. I turned her to look at me and she was visibly pale.</p><p>“Excuse me; I was speaking nonsense.”</p><p>“I don’t think so; no human would walk up to a demon hound like it were a poodle if she hadn’t encountered one before. So tell me about your dog.” I crossed my arms and she looked shaken and wrung her hands, she was definitely hiding something.</p><p>“Zoie…is a yokai….he was trapped as a dog for many years while he cared for my mother. My grandfather died and grandmother had disappeared and Zoie raised her. Once she learned of the curse she was able to break it and he assumed his true form again; he still takes on that of a dog sometimes because he is simply used to it and it’s easier for humans to see a dog than a yokai anyway.” She looked at me with fearful eyes and swallowed.</p><p>“So you have a demon living in your home?”</p><p>“Yes, he is practically my uncle.”</p><p>“Well that explains why your family is so comfortable with you being here then. Honestly that makes me glad; I had wondered about some of these students and how they will fair; but I suppose you are the best off of the bunch. You never cease to amaze me Jetèa Minamino.” I hadn’t meant to say those last words; she looked at me with lightly flushed cheeks as she lowered her eyes, she would never look down like that before, not around me.</p><p>“You wanted me to help you with something?”</p><p>“Hmm? Yes, have you gotten your attire for Diavolo’s party tomorrow night?”</p><p>“Yes I went out with Asmo and Levi just the other day and I will be going out with Beel this evening to find his gift.”</p><p>“I see, and have you gotten your gift as well.” She smiled and held a finger to her lips.</p><p>“That is a surprise and I will have no one spoil it.”</p><p>“Very well then, will you accompany me now so that I may retrieve his gift?”</p><p>“You waited until the day before to look for his gift? That is so unlike you Lucifer, you would never be this careless.”</p><p>“Actually this particular gift was not available until today, in just a couple hours to be exact, so there was no way I could get it earlier.” Her face changed and she blushed again.</p><p>“I apologize…I still haven’t learned to keep my foot out of my mouth.”</p><p>“Quite alright; I am used to your bluntness at this point, if you didn’t speak your mind I would think something was wrong.” She blushed again and played with a lock of her hair.</p><p>“Why did you bring me out here to meet your dog? Were you trying to see if I were a good person, or did you want an opportunity to save me again?” at first it was the prior, but looking at her play with him made me think…would it be alright to tell her more about myself? She took a peek inside of my private life and not only failed to run away but welcomed him with open arms. What were the odds that they would like each other like this, Cerberus was only raised around demons; he doesn’t interact with humans at all. But even still this interaction brought many unsolicited thoughts about her.</p><p>“Maybe I am in my own way confiding in you; Cerberus has always been a pleasure of mine like your plants are yours. Perhaps….i wanted to let you in as thanks.” She tilted her head with a smile and reached for my arm.</p><p>“Well how about that, I get to look in the mighty Mr. Pride’s personal life.” Why did her expression make my heart quicken?</p><p>“Come let us go, we must get a good place in line.” She patted each of Cerberus’ heads one last time and walked alongside me. We reached the shop in a considerable amount of time and were able to be only the first few in line for the item in question while waiting for the store to open.</p><p>“Have you managed to connect with your siblings lately?” she looked up thoughtfully and shrugged her shoulders.</p><p>“I have talked a little with my sister but my brother doesn’t answer my calls; it may take him the longest as we used to be so close.”</p><p>“I see.”</p><p>“What about you, have you thought about doing anything fun with your brothers?”</p><p>“No…I mean I have, but it just isn’t a good time.”</p><p>“I really feel like they need you now more than ever Lucifer.”</p><p>“And why is that?” she looked ahead as though afraid to look at me.</p><p>“I just have a bad feeling is all, it could very well be nothing but I am afraid nonetheless.”</p><p>“Of what?”</p><p>“They have been having bouts of illness lately like feeling weak now and again, and also information they have never divulged has been going around school.”</p><p>“Well that just sounds like someone gossiping, undoubtedly Asmo, it isn’t something to worry about though and we all get tired at times, it is natural.” She looked like she wanted to say more, but let it go. I wondered what had her so riled suddenly.</p><p>“Jetèa…can I ask you something?” She looked up at me flustered and it startled me, those olive eyes looked fearful and her stance screamed insecurity, she would never let herself look like this in public.</p><p>“W…what is it?” I reached a hand down and lifted her chin, causing her face to darken.</p><p>“Why are you acting so peculiar around me, just last week you were going out of your way to irritate me and now you look so flustered? Is something on your mind?” she tucked her hair behind her ear and sighed, before giving me that damned look that sends me feel weak.</p><p>“Yes, actually…Asmodeus has been saying some things lately. And as much as I know I should disregard him I cannot shake the feeling that….” Of course Asmo had gotten to her, he wouldn’t stop at just me; he had to put these ideas into her head as well.</p><p>“Feeling that what?” She looked at me seriously as she took my hand in hers.</p><p>“Lucifer…do you…care for me?” I wanted to outright say no, but the thought of doing so and potentially hurting her feelings would dampen this trip in its entirety. But even still I didn’t exactly not want to say yes either, there were reasons I knew would cause her to think such an accusation were true, In all honesty I had to ask myself the very same. Did I care for her, was this why I had been feeling the things I had, was I cursed, infatuated or something more?</p><p>“Asmo will always say outlandish things; it’s best if you simply ignore them.” That should settle that.</p><p>“Oh, I see…” she looked away nearly crestfallen; was Asmo correct, did she care for me as well?</p><p>“I’m sorry about my brother, he doesn’t think before he speaks.”</p><p>“Many younger siblings don’t, it’s nothing new.” Ah she was back to acting aloof again, what should I say now?</p><p>“You are indeed special to me Jetèa…you are the only one who understands me. That makes me feel…relieved, I feel good having a compatriot.” She wouldn’t look at me and I felt a familiar coldness from her. At the corner of my eye I saw someone approach.</p><p>“You do not need to pacify me Lucifer, I am a big girl and besides…” I pulled her to my chest and held her close.</p><p>“What are you-“</p><p>“Be silent!” I wrapped my arms around her and covered her with my coat. Two lower level demons walked right up beside us.</p><p>“I can smell that damned girl around here; I can never forget that sweet stench.” I felt her tense and tremble against me just from the sound of their voices.</p><p>“I want to tear her apart…it’s her fault Damien….”</p><p>“Ya think she would be stupid enough to walk out here on her own?”</p><p>“Well if I find her the first thing I’m gonna do is-“</p><p>“Is there a problem gentlemen?” they snapped their heads my way and paled before snarling at me, I could feel her nails dig into my waist.</p><p>“You got the smell of that mutt on ya, so it is true; is she worth spilling the blood of ya own kind?” the one with white hair moved closer, feeling emboldened by the line of witnesses I stood in.</p><p>“She fits your fancy doesn’t she hotshot, high class jerk. Did ya take her back and tell her all about how ya murdered ya own kind while ya banged her?” I snatched the white haired savage by his throat, strangling him.</p><p>“You think I forgot about your part in this? I was being merciful when I let you live; but I see now I was being too kind…” He struggled and tried to claw at my gloved hand the eyes of the darker haired demon rested on Jetèa as she was uncovered by my movement.</p><p>“Stop please!! Don’t hurt anyone, it isn’t worth it! They could be someone’s brother, they could be important to someone, you wouldn’t want anyone to do this to Mammon or Belphie or Satan! Let him go!” she looked up at me with tears in her eyes, her arms tight around me. I released him, dozens of pairs of eyes on us now.</p><p>“Threaten her again, come near her again and you won’t live to tell about it.” they scurried away and I put my arms around her again while she struggled to steady her breathing.</p><p>“Shh, it’s okay; I promised they wouldn’t hurt you. I will never let you get hurt again. Don’t cry ‘Tèa, I have you.” I petted her hair and hugged her against me and she soon settled. She lifted her head and I felt her warm breath against my neck and I felt my hair stand on end.</p><p>“Thank you Lucifer…you saved me again; you’re always my hero….my kindred spirit…my darkened angel….” She ran her hands up and down my back as she pressed her cheek to my chest. Why was I feeling this sensation, this emotion caught between fear and exhilaration, and why was this girl of all creatures able to stir them within me?</p><p>“I made you a promise, and I am a Demon of my word.” She smelled sweet, like rose petals and honey. She met her eyes with mine and there was such a peculiar look upon her face before she blushed darkly and released me.</p><p>“I’m so sorry…”</p><p>“It is alright, are you feeling better?”</p><p>“I’m okay now….” She turned away from me and she fell silent, we were silent for most of the remainder of the trip. How could this happen, was this Asmo’s doing, were the words he put in my head to blame? Why would I be having such feelings towards her when I already know it was not in either of our best interests? She wouldn’t be able to handle my darkness; she wouldn’t be able to handle what I had put behind my wall, even still she managed to expertly chip away at it. I found myself reliving that embrace in my mind, her warm touch her gentle gaze and her sweet words sent my senses reeling. That moment, paired with so many other blunders I had made regarding her in the words I have spoken and actions I have taken….began to fall together. She has taken these months and not only driven me insane…she has driven me to care for her. I have felt love before but not in this fashion…this wasn’t ecstasy or any sort of light and happy thing, this was a dreadful feeling that felt desperate. For what would happen should my crumbling wall finally topple? How could I entrust the fullness of my darkness to a human, would she even want to look upon it?</p><p>  In reality it wouldn’t matter regardless, I had set out to nip this in the bud; only I hadn’t realized it was my own infatuation I was suppressing. Her own pride wouldn’t admit any affection towards me just as mine won’t allow it, and I feel for the sake of our friendship and all I hold dear, that it is for the best.</p><p> </p><p>J</p><p>“The whole thing was a disaster, I felt like such an idiot!” I griped for the third time as Beel and I walked along a shop together; I unload entirely too much on my best friend.</p><p>“You will have another chance to tell him, it isn’t the end of the world. It isn’t like you could just say it while those jerks were there, although I’m surprised he didn’t get it when they called you a mutt.”</p><p>“Maybe it’s because I’m also biracial, my grandfather was Haitian after all. Or maybe he was too angry at the time to care.”</p><p>“That’s true too, but you do have to tell him; at this point it would be wrong not to because we all know already. You saw how mad Satan got at you because he thought he was the last to know.”</p><p>“Yes but Satan didn’t choose me to come here based on the information I put on the application and Satan can’t petition to have me expelled from the program and this school.” Worst of all I ran the risk of losing my friend entirely; and after what had happened earlier I realized that I didn’t want that. I didn’t tell Beel that I held onto him; and I certainly wasn’t going to discuss the dizzying effect of his gentle hand petting my hair or the scent of his cologne that was a mix of mahogany, vanilla and spice. I couldn’t believe the words I let come out of my mouth, and after what he had said previously I must look like a desperate idiot! He guarded me without question or prompting, I knew for a fact that he kept me hidden so I wouldn’t see them and not the other way. He cared about my feelings, he had to….after what Asmo said to me when we went shopping, and what others have picked up on I have to wonder if he cares for me. I remember how angry and hateful he used to be when I would say such condescending things as I did earlier; today his eyes showed patience…and kindness.</p><p>“All of that is true, but Lucifer deserves to know the truth even if it gets you in trouble. And Diavolo can’t discredit the fact that you have worked really hard for the sake of this school. He my show you some leniency if you come clean rather than them finding out.” He pulled out a tea set that had a very nice gothic design on it.</p><p>“Diavolo likes his tea parties, I think this will work fine; I haven’t seen this set in his house.”</p><p>“Wonderful, then we are all set.” He smiled and he went to the counter to make the purchase. I noticed he was suddenly acting strange as it sat the box on the counter to be wrapped and he suddenly fell to the floor.</p><p>“Beel, are you okay?!” I shook him several times before he finally stirred shaking his head as he sat up.</p><p>“Did you not eat enough? Here take this energy bar!”</p><p>“Uhhh….sorry, that’s been happening lately I guess I need to eat some more haha!” he looked pale and when I felt his skin he was clammy.</p><p>“Beel if you aren’t well you need to tell someone right away; this could be serious.” His color returned and he stood up.</p><p>“No, I’m ok, it always goes away after a minute.” This alarmed me even more; something was definitely wrong here, but what could I do if none of them saw a problem? He turned back and made the purchase and we walked home together.</p><p>“I think you should tell him at the party, when he is in a good mood.”</p><p>“I don’t know….”</p><p>“He has the right to know Tèa…he would accept you no matter what.” But it wasn’t my lineage that was the issue here, it was my application and the large X I marked under the race human. He may not have accepted me for the program, I may have never met any of them if not for that; but what will happen if I tell him now? Would I lose my enrollment, my friends? So many questions burned inside of me as I walked, between these odd illnesses, my damning secret and….my feelings, I wasn’t sure where to turn or who to turn to. But I knew that no matter which way I turned none of this would be resolved without it becoming worse.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. The Dance of the Peacock</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The party is tonight and she learns from Asmo that there is in fact more to Lucifer than meets the eye, confirming her suspicions and deepening her desire to lessen his pain. During the party a dance competition sets a new transition in motion</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 26</p><p>J</p><p>I finished getting dressed and looked into the mirror, not entirely comfortable with what Asmo had found but it was the most conservative of the bunch. It was a lilac colored piece that had a connecting cape, the top end was sleeveless and ended just a couple inches under my breasts it was connected the bottom piece by a chain with diamond shapes. The skirt was ankle length but has a slit that went high onto my hip and was held there by diamond linked belt. I liked the way it fluttered and fanned as I walked but knowing they would see my bare stomach and shoulders made me nervous, there was a lot less left to the imagination than what I would normally wear.</p><p>“I see you Asmo.” I smiled as I spotted the cheeky demon trying to steal a hug from behind. He leaned back and put his hands behind his back like a child who got his hand caught in the cookie jar.</p><p>“You caught me, ha ha! My goodness Rose you look enchanting, you would certainly do your Jiji proud! Let me help with that luscious hair of yours.” I noticed Asmo was looking elegant in a hot pink steam punk tailcoat with black slacks with fuchsia trim.</p><p>“You are looking amazing yourself.”</p><p>“Why thank you darling, it is all the rage in Paris; it isn’t as flashy as I would love but Lucifer wants the focus on Diavolo and not I.”</p><p>“You mean you brought several for his approval and this was the only one he didn’t turn down?” He turned his head and pouted.</p><p>“How can the most beautiful demon in Devildom be forced to not bring out his full potential? It’s blasphemy I tell you, simply criminal!”</p><p>“Well isn’t simply being you putting forth your full potential? I guarantee you will have all eyes on you regardless.” He hugged me around my shoulders with a small squeal.</p><p>“You know how to stroke my ego just right my flower! There, you look simply ravishing!” He swept my hair to the side and pinned it with a comb; then put my golden rose necklace around my neck and clapped his hands with joy.</p><p>“Thank you.”</p><p>“Have you given our last talk any thought?”</p><p>“Asmo, he doesn’t like me in that way, you are seeing things that aren’t there, I wish you would just leave it alone.” He hugged me around my shoulders again, stroking my cheek with his thumb.</p><p>“But you admit you like him don’t you? Come on petal it’s me, you don’t have to hide your desires.”</p><p>“Asmo…”</p><p>“You do!! Oh I knew it!!”</p><p>“Keep your damned voice down!” He slapped a hand over his mouth and crossed his fingers.</p><p>“It doesn’t matter anyway, I don’t want him to know; he doesn’t want anything to do with me in that way and I would rather keep things the way they are thank ruin them with foolhardy confessions I am unsure are true.”</p><p>“He would never admit it to you if he did…Lucifer is carrying a lot of pain and he won’t let anyone in.” I knew I had sensed a darkness in him, knew there was sadness and regret from that nightmare he was having; but for Asmo to confirm it made me feel as though I were about to peer into something forbidden.</p><p>“What do you mean?” He sat on my bed crossing his legs and resting his elbows in his lap.</p><p>“Well…he feels he is responsible for us.”</p><p>“He is the eldest-“</p><p>“No dear… he feels he is responsible for our downfall.” That was a blow I wasn’t expecting. I sat next to him on the bed nearly breathless.</p><p>“We followed him into war without question, we fought alongside him to the bitter end but…in that end we lost and ended up here and we have never been as close as we were then. If you want the harsh bare truth of it, he believes he is the reason we are damned in the first place. But you see we followed him willingly, he’s our older brother, I would follow him anywhere.”</p><p>“That…is a lot of weight to carry.”</p><p>“Honey it isn’t even the tip of the iceberg; I know he is suffering only because I was there to witness a lot of it happening, I know for a fact that he would never tell a soul about what was on that gorgeous mind of his let alone what was on his heart, why ever since our sister-“</p><p>“Sister?” Asmo put his hand over his mouth and looked away, but just before I saw that there were tears in his eyes.</p><p>“Did….something happen to her?”</p><p>“Yes…she died.” My heart dropped as the room fell silent.</p><p>“I’m so sorry Asmo….i shouldn’t have asked.” He stayed in that position for few moments before turning back with his usual smile.</p><p>“It’s quite alright Rose, you’re practically family and these things happen! Now let’s go to the soirée and dance the night away!” he sprung to his feet and did a little spin.</p><p>“Asmo…” I stood and pulled him into a tight hug, burying my face in his neck.</p><p>“It’s just me, you don’t have to deny your pain.” He held me a sobbed a little.</p><p>“Oh look, now I’ve messed up your hair, here let me fix it.” He made sure to put it right back into place taking a step back to get a look at me.</p><p>“You really are amazing…you would be good for him.” He reached out and stroked my cheek.</p><p>“Oi, Asmo what do ya think ya doin’ huh?!” Mammon stood in my doorway looking stunning in his golden sherwani with black embroidered crows.</p><p>“Wow Mammon, you sure clean up nice.”</p><p>“Yeah shove it; I saw what you were tryin’ to do!”</p><p>“Hey stop, now no fighting tonight okay? Tonight is supposed to be a fun night for Diavolo. Can you boys get along for me, please?” they wilted and nodded in agreement.</p><p>“We are to arrive fifteen minutes early, if we do not leave now we will be late.” We heard Lucifer call from downstairs.</p><p>“So wait, we will get in trouble for bein’ on time? What world does he live in?”</p><p>“He just wants to make his brothers look good, don’t take it to heart.” I slipped on my shoes and we all filed downstairs. When his eyes rested on me something about his expression changed, he seemed distracted. He wore a sleek mandarin collared shirt in a rich blue with golden trim. Over him was a collared cape in deep blue embroidered with peacock feathers, he even wore golden gloves to match. He looked amazing, just like his symbol suggested.</p><p>“’Tèa, you look…” Asmo came up behind me and grabbed my shoulders.</p><p>“Go on, tell her she looks ravishing! Don’t you just want to eat her up?” He blushed slightly and it made my heart skip. Damn it, stop Jetèa you’re letting your mind run away with you, this is just some chemicals in your brain making you feel some hero worship that is all! I stepped closer to him looking him over and smiling.</p><p>“Well look at the proud peacock, strutting his stuff for all to see. You look amazing Lucifer.”</p><p>“Yes, thank you; you look…beautiful ‘Tèa…”</p><p>“We should go now.” he looked at me with calm cool eyes and nodded. We all made it to Diavolo’s mansion with minutes to spare with his gifts in tow.</p><p>“Welcome my friends, I’m glad you could make it! Now what did I say, I didn’t want any gifts!”</p><p>“Now Diavolo, we cannot celebrate your birthday and not show our appreciation.” Everyone began to give him their gifts one by one, Asmo had gotten him an array of lotions and oils, Levi had actually had a manga made in his image for him. He seemed to love Belphie’s pajamas, Beel’s tea set and Satan’s book. Then Mammon brought forth his gift.</p><p>“Feast your eyes, all of ya!” he pulled back the sheet to unveil a picture of RAD made of the many colored stones we had gotten.</p><p>“This is amazing!! You made this Mammon, oh wow I’m going to have this hung in my room! Barbatos here; could you find a place for this?” He handed the portrait to him, and Lucifer came forth with his box.</p><p>“Happy birthday Diavolo.” He hands him the box and he carefully opens it to reveal a record.</p><p>“I know how much you love the soundtrack I had so I purchased you a copy.”</p><p>“The soundtrack to the shadow Realm Series; oh my goodness Lucifer, this is amazing! How long did you stand in line to get this?!” He smiled and crossed his arms.</p><p>“Not that long.”  He laughed with joy and I stepped forward.</p><p>“Um…I know you have been interested in my work with flowers, this is called the queen of the night, this particular flower type barely blooms and this type will only bloom every hundred years, today.” He took the bulb carefully and looked at it.</p><p>“It should bloom about eleven tonight.” He smiled ear to ear at me.</p><p>“Well then we will be ready, now fellas time to bring forth her gifts.”</p><p>“What, I don’t….” Each of them turned to me with small boxes for me.</p><p>“We had to show you our appreciation; your contribution and hard work has been phenomenal, thank you Jetèa.” He bowed as they came forward. Satan gave me the first book we have ever read together, Belphie gave me silk slippers , Levi gave me a body pillow from an anime we watched together, Asmo gave me a silk robe and bath oils, Beel gave me a giant teddy bear and Diavolo gave me a brooch from a rare blue stone. I noticed the last two brothers hesitating to approach me.</p><p>“Guys…like I said you do not have to give me anything, I wasn’t expecting any-“ Lucifer came forward and presented me with a red and black rose.</p><p>“I know they are your favorite flower, and this is an especially rare species. I also had a spell placed on it so that it will not wilt for ten years.” I held the flower in my hand and smelled it, and even that scent was unique.</p><p>“Lucifer…it’s beautiful…thank you.” He smiled and looked at me for a long moment. I noticed Asmo smiling giddily, and I glared at him.</p><p>“Anybody can give a dumb flower, it ain’t special” He stepped over with a small box and shoved it into my hands.</p><p>“This….isn’t that special either, but…I think of you when I see it.” in the box was a small heart shaped polished garnet stone with a tiny crow inside.</p><p>“Mammon….”</p><p>“I remembered the dream ya had and…..well there ya go.” He blushed and looked away from me.</p><p>“Alright, now let’s get the party started! The other guests arrived and I think since it is my birthday I would like to get the first dance with the guest of honor!” Diavolo took my hands in his with a smile.</p><p>“Aw don’t look so sour boys. Tell you what, how about we make a game of it. each of you will have a dance with her and whomever has the best performance she will deem the winner!”</p><p>“What are you up to Diavolo?” He smiled at me.</p><p>“I’m just up for a little mischief is all. Oh and the songs will be random, so you will have to wing it!” before I knew it we were of into a waltz; he was very skilled and it was easy to let him lead.</p><p>“I hope you will forgive me for putting this on you, I reached out to the guys after the meeting and told them that you were to be honored because of what you’ve done. You have done nothing but dedicated everything to this school and the program, and I am grateful for it.” I thought on my secret, a sharp pang hit my heart.</p><p>“I have done nothing amazing.”</p><p>“Nonsense, I am very glad we chose you to be here.” The song soon ended and we were met with applause by the other guests. He bowed and I did the same, and the brothers came to me from youngest to oldest. The songs were mixed between upbeat and fun. When it was Asmo’s turn we were met with a very upbeat and jumpy song that got me in the mood to just jump around.</p><p>“Oh Rose this song is one of my favorites…feels so good being bad, no way I’m turning back, now the pain is for pleasure ‘cause nothing can measure…” he sang along as he dished out some suggestive dance moves. I couldn’t help but jump around to the beat and to be honest we forgot it was a competition and just had fun.</p><p>Satan was paired with a reggae tune which displeased him but he did fairly but poor Levi froze as soon as his song started and ran away embarrassed. There was a few minutes to rest and I went to get a drink, of course Asmo was by the punch bowl with a smile.<br/>“I am not declaring a winner until everyone goes.”</p><p>“Oh Rose, I know I am a magnificent dancer, that is no question. I’m just awfully aware that a special someone’s turn is coming up soon.”</p><p>“Asmo how many times will I have to tell you to drop it?”</p><p>“His eyes haven’t left you the whole time, you know he cares for you and you for him just let your desires free.”</p><p>“Asmodeus…” He sighed and shook his head.</p><p>“You two are hopeless, but I will not give up!”</p><p>“I know you won’t.”</p><p>“Oi, is Asmo tryin’ to rig the contest? Ya betta get away from her!”</p><p>“Mammon calm down, your dance is next, so you should focus on that.” The dance floor began to clear and I knew it was time to take to it again.</p><p>“Haha! Come on ‘Tèa, I’ll show you how a real demon does it!” I walked with him to the dance floor as we waited for the song to start. A soft Spanish tune began and I saw his face change drastically.</p><p>“Do you know this song?”</p><p>“I…I’m us gettin the beat down is all…” He began to salsa and I was amazed at how well he was doing it as I had never seen him dance before. And I soon followed his steps.</p><p>“Quick study, that’s you alright.” I moved to the music and let myself go, then I felt the warmth of his body behind me, his hands gliding down my sides to my hips.</p><p>“Move in time wit me…” he gently guided my hips to move with the beat and as soon as I got it hey moved his arms to around my waist. None of the others had danced this close to me and I was startled, listening to the song and moving along with him I rested my head backward onto his shoulder.</p><p>“That’s right….stay wit me…” I felt urgency in his voice that was almost pained.</p><p>“Then she said te amo, then she put her hand around my waist, and she cried te amo…” he sang into my ear and as I listened to the song…it was all about unrequited love. I spun away and danced around him seeing the odd expression in his eyes, as he gently grabbed my hand and pulled me in to tango and dipped me into the end of the song…and just like that he walked away.</p><p>“Mammon….” He disappeared into the crowd without looking back.</p><p>L</p><p>Mammon had the audacity to dance that closely to her, not even Asmo had done that; seeing his hands on her hips made me seethe with anger, but then I had no reason to be angry. She was a free agent and very capable of deciding for herself what was inappropriate, but even still…</p><p>“Are going to let Mammon one up you like that?” Of course you would be there with the salt Asmo.</p><p>“Like what, he was almost grinding on her; it was classless and inappropriate.”</p><p>“Oooh jealousy looks amazing on you Lucifer.”</p><p>“I am not jealous; I’m irritated that he acted in such a manner and in front of Diavolo.”</p><p>“Well that is the nature of the dance, you cannot blame the genre he got, all you can do is be better a dancer than him.”</p><p>“Hmm.” She spotted me and came forward looking a little flustered.</p><p>“I apologize for my brother, he was inappropriate.”</p><p>“Oh no, that is the song he got, there are only so many ways to dance to it haha!” she smiled but I could tell she was nervous.</p><p>“Regardless, I apolog-“</p><p>“Shh, it’s your turn Mr. Pride.” I glanced over to Diavolo who was getting a thorough kick out of it all. We walked to the middle of the dance floor and waited. She looked amazing, that garnet hair brushed her shoulder as she looked to me with a smile. I could not let the emotions I feel get the better of me; I could not show weakness now of all times. The song began and we noticed immediately that it was slow and romantic; we looked over to see Asmo by the entertainment area</p><p>“Damn him!”</p><p>“Oh don’t be mad, let’s make the best of it.” I looked into her eyes and I relented, bowing as I offered my hand.</p><p>“Are you willing to let me lead for once?” She grinned as she took it.</p><p>“We will see.” I pulled her into an eloquent waltz that was quickly paced. She seemed to move with me effortlessly, relaxing completely. I spun her and she broke free from me, kicking off her shoes and beginning to pirouette, her dress and hair moving in fluid motion as she made her way back to me as I lifted her into the air. She allowed her body to loosen and mold with mine as I slowly let her back down, hooking her leg and arm around me as we went into another turn until she hit the floor again and danced around me. He watched me the entire time, her eyes like ochre jades that held me in their grasp. She gripped my shoulder and leapt into my arms again and I held her close to me as we went into another turn, only this time I gripped her waist with both hands and not minding my strength tossed her a solid twenty feet upward. She came back down in an effortless swan dive that made everyone gasp as I caught her and we went back into a seamless waltz. As the music began to slow I lifted her above me again, only this time holding her there. In that moment I was utterly captivated by her, all of the words between us, the moments we shared flooded my mind and she looked into my eyes dreamily…did she care for me too?</p><p>   I lowered her slowly, entranced in her eyes as she ran her hands along my shoulders and onto my neck, she trusted me completely. I pulled her just inches of me…could she be the one…could she be….? I realized I was about to kiss her and dropped her to the floor making her start but catching her in time to make it look purposeful. DAMMIT what did I almost do?! She gripped me tight as the song ended and the applause roared in the ballroom.</p><p>“Lucif-“</p><p>“Thank you for the dance.” My tone was so dismissive that she stopped short and simply walked away. I felt like a complete fool! I knew I needed to keep my emotions to myself and yet I allowed myself to…now I confused her…and the more I thought on the moment the more I began to feel this pain…my wall that she had been chipping away at was beginning to crumble and I wasn’t sure if I could handle what was behind it.</p><p>“Lucifer where are you going?”</p><p>“Pardon me Diavolo; I…have to go a moment.” I had to leave, I had to get out of here before it came all the way down and someone got hurt.</p><p>J</p><p>Did…that almost happen just now? We nearly kissed and he dropped me just before it happened, and acted like it never happened. He did care about me…dare I say he even loved me? What was I feeling? The dance was amazing, it was like we were in perfect synch with each other, especially in that throw, I trusted him to catch me, I knew as long as he was near I would be fine. Oh…no…oh damn I think I loved him too! Yes all the signs were there but I hadn’t anticipated the thought that he would ever return it. But what was I going to do now?</p><p>“Call me professor because I see chemistry!!” Asmo put his arms around me and squealed.</p><p>“Asmo how could you do that? That was underhanded!”</p><p>“You two had the spark, I only provided some kindling Rose, I told you both and here we are.”</p><p>“We didn’t kiss or anything Asmo so you can drop it.”</p><p>“Yes but he wanted to, and that alone proves something.” I thought about it again and of the few times he had ever opened up to me. Asmo told me that he carried a lot of pain and regret in his heart; I knew he had hid it all behind a wall of pride but I still couldn’t realize how extensive his pain really was. He needed peace, he needed someone to help him release his burden and move forward. All of this work he put onto himself, all of this…façade was to hide the darkness within him. I know that pain, and I was only just beginning to release that burden. But he would never put it down; he wouldn’t acknowledge it unless he was forced to.</p><p>   But even still I couldn’t deny my own confusion and mixed emotions. If I was feeling this torn I knew he must be too. I had to talk to him, I had to do something.</p><p>“Which way did he go?” Asmo smiled and pointed toward the main part of Diavolo’s house and I went in that direction.</p><p> I went to the only door that was closed and crept my way in; he was leaning over a dresser with both hands, his back to me.</p><p>“What do you want?!” His tone startled me, his voice was low and gravelly and had a touch of warning in it. But I was never at any point afraid of him and I shut the door behind me without a word.</p><p>“Get out, leave me.”</p><p>“We have to discuss what happened.” He turned on me with angry crimson eyes.</p><p>“There is nothing to discuss! Absolutely nothing!” he moved threateningly closer to me.</p><p>“You must feel pretty full of yourself don’t you; why you have been looking for the moment to make me slip, make me look foolish. You wanted that from the beginning didn’t you, well you finally got your moment how does it feel?!” He was trembling, as he crept closer.</p><p>“That isn’t what happened…I never wanted to hurt you. What happened back there...”</p><p>“What happened? Nothing happened, get your facts together!” His tone was firm and demanding.</p><p>“Right, nothing happened…” he chuckled as he ran his gloved fingers through his hair. His eyes crazed and yet so pained. Was he embarrassed, could he really think that I was trying to deceive him into having feelings for me as some sort of game? If it was back in the beginning of my stay then I could see the possibility; needing to make him fold, look foolish; but this was so far from the case.</p><p>“You are something else you know that; do you think I’m fond of you or something? Do you think that I have affection for you? You’re pathetic and delusional if you think I would desire the attention to a weak, pitiful and worthless human like you! You are nothing to me, do you hear me NOTHING!!”</p><p>“I know that isn’t true…” he let out a low threatening laugh.</p><p>“Oh is that so? Do you forget just who I am; do you forget how powerful I am? I could kill you in a matter of seconds! What could you possibly have to offer me? What could you possibly do to benefit me?! Do you enjoy the thought of loving a demon, do you find it tantalizing? Does the thought of me making you mine fill you with desire…you disgust me.” he crept forward until I was against the wall, he rested his forearm against it looming over me as I never broke eye contact with him. All the while he trembled with what I thought was rage but as I continued to listen to him I began to wonder if it were me he were trying to convince me or himself. It was like he had let his guard fall all the way down and he wasn’t sure what to do now. He felt vulnerable and was protecting himself; he was simply trying not to break and it wrung my heart.</p><p>“You know that I would never hurt you Luci…” he palmed the wall with a loud thud with his other hand making me jump.</p><p>“Don’t…call me that, I told you not to CALL ME THAT! Get out…and stay away from me….”</p><p>“No…I’m not going anywhere.” He was moving away but my words pushed him over the edge.</p><p>“Why are you so DAMNED DEFIANT!! What do you want from me?! You and your metaphors and parables, do you expect to fix me? Is that it? Do you look at me with pity in your eyes and imagine you can take on the darkness of me? Do you think I even want that of you?” He gripped my face in his hand rubbing his thumb along my cheek roughly.</p><p>“You cursed girl…did you hex me, hmm? Did you put a curse on me; am I under some damned spell of your making?”</p><p>“No.” my back pressed against the wall he studied me with narrow eyes, his gloved hand still on my cheek.</p><p>“Then why, why do I see you in my dreams, why do you plague my thoughts? Why are you so insistent in driving me insane, why does the very scent of you make me so weak?! Why can I never have peace…no matter how hard I try…I cannot have peace...” I lifted my hand and placed it over his heart making him take a sharp breath.</p><p>“Because…your darkness, though vast and frightening, is familiar to me, I cannot fix you when I cannot fix myself. But I also will not sit by and watch you drown, I would rather try to swim to the surface alongside you, urging you onward to air…to peace. Until then Lucifer…let me be your peace…Open the door Luci….let me in and we can take on the darkness that envelopes us together, you don’t have to be alone….” I watched as something in his eyes broke and he pulled me in and put his mouth to mine. I instantly felt dizzy and melted into him as he wrapped his arms around my waist and I ran my fingers into his hair.</p><p>He broke the kiss in a gasp and hugged me closed to him nuzzling his face in my hair. I wrapped my arms around him and held him tight in silence.</p><p>“How is it you can do this to me…how can a human like you…do this to me...?” I looked up at him, lifting on my toes to meet his mouth again and he welcomed me, pulling back after several seconds, looking at me with dilated eyes. It was in that moment I realized our friendship had turned into something much more. Neither of us had expected it or were even trying for it. But here I stood, in the arms of the demon who had ensnared my heart; and I had coincidentally entangled his own as well. And in all honesty I wasn’t against it, in that moment I didn’t see my darkness or my painful past; I saw a chance to do better, a chance to truly live instead of exist. And I would do everything in my power to make sure he knew he had the same chance too.</p><p>“‘Tèa, as fate would have it, I cannot fight this…I am utterly smitten with you. You are so beautiful, your lips taste so sweet and your touch is intoxicating.” His voice was suddenly soft as velvet as he grazed his lips along my forehead. I reach up and caressed his face, kissing along his jaw.</p><p>“I do not wish to be without you…now that I’ve held you close, and tasted your mouth, I desire to make you my beloved. Stay with me, be mine…and I will give you all your heart desires; fame, money, power anything.” I lifted my head and looked him in the eye; I could tell that in this exact moment he would give me anything I wanted he was so enamored.</p><p>“I just want you to let me in…and I want your heart, in exchange I’ll give you mine and you will never be alone in the dark again.” His eyes glittered as he smiled; I had said the correct answer.</p><p>“Let’s get back to the party; I’m sure they will be missing us by now</p><p>“Yes, let’s go…and maybe we can have another dance?” he chuckled and took my hand in his. We opened the door to hear a song we could only describe as one you would play in the bedroom.</p><p>“ASMO!!” we yelled in unison, laughing as we went back to the party, with so much more hope than when we left it.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>